Interesting Features at PWN for 2.23.15

News from the PWN Pipeline: 

'A man who doesn't help is "busy"; a woman is "selfish."'

Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer at Facebook, and Adam Grant, professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, have written a four part series for the New York Times about women in the workplace. This article, the third in the series, focuses on how support work and communal contributions, as well as 'office housework', in the office are differentially perceived and prioritized between men and women. Sandberg and Grant suggest strategies for improving imbalances in support work and office housework that can interfere with career progress and promotions.

5 Common Misconceptions That Make You Bad at Networking

Sometimes, the idea of networking with new acquaintances or colleagues can evoke memories of loud crowded spaces with people talking at you about the work they do, expecting you to do the same, and ending with the frenzied exchange of business cards and hollow promises to keep in touch. Building a network can rely, however, on far more engaging and thoughtful approaches. This article from Fast Company identifies some common misconceptions that derail successful networking and suggests useful approaches for initiating and maintaining more meaningful connections.

Interesting Features at PWN for 10.27.14

We hope to see many of you at the annual PWN meeting during the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington DC in November! If you are a PWN member attending SfN and have not yet heard about our meeting, please leave a comment below or click on my name to email me for more details.  

News from the PWN Pipeline:

Plugging up the "leaky pipeline."

The shortage of women in STEM-related industries and fields is an ongoing problem. CNN asked several female leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields to weigh in on solutions for engaging and retaining women in STEM careers. Dr. Patty Fagin asserts that young girls demonstrate as much interest and aptitude for STEM as young boys but they lost interest along the way, suggesting a 'leaky pipeline,' possibly because they were not encouraged as enthusiastically to explore these options. One solution is to initiate early exposure to STEM-related studies and to offer female mentors early on as well, so as to show that support and success are available to all women.

"I can never be sure whether I truly earned it."

Dr. Claudia Perlich offers an interesting perspective on the apparent paucity of women in data science. In fact, she posits, there are many women data scientists but not very many 'visible' ones. It is possible that women are only suggested for invited and keynote speaker roles after committee members are reminded that "we need to get more women speakers." In order to increase the visibility and accomplishments of female data scientists, and female scientists in general, Perlich asserts that it may require a job transition from the limitations of academia to industries where women are already in more key leadership roles and well positioned to offer support and mentorship to other women ascending the ranks.

Interesting Features at PWN for 9.15.14

News from the PWN Pipeline: 

'Women are given constructive suggestions-- and told to pipe down.'

Fortune's Kieran Snyder has penned a very illuminating column on how the perception of female "abrasiveness" or assertiveness plays a role in undermining women's careers in technology sector positions. Dr. Snyder assessed performance reviews gathered from men and women in tech positions, and found that women are often given negative feedback or are primarily given feedback with criticism. In contrast, men are overwhelmingly likely to receive only constructive feedback in their performance review. Furthermore, women are seldom given feedback without criticism, whereas men are far more likely to receive feedback without criticism. Overall, the findings of the review show a stark contrast between the evaluations of men and women in tech and merit a reexamination of systematic bias in review language.


'We can't 'ban bossy' if women in tech are being told to know their role.'

In reaction to Kieran Snyder's informal investigation, Jess Zimmerman from The Guardian has posted a response calling for the rise of more women in leadership roles in tech. Ms. Zimmerman rightly points out that encouraging women in early stages of STEM education to focus on their career goals and then exposing them to workplace gendered criticism, bigotry, and retrogressive attitudes regarding work performance and ability is completely counterproductive.

Interesting Features at PWN for 9.2.14

Hope you all had a fantastic summer and managed to take some time to relax and spend time away from the lab/office! We are excited for another great year with PWN and look forward to continuing to grow our network of professional women. We will be in touch soon about our upcoming annual PWN gathering during the Society for Neuroscience meeting in November.

News from the PWN Pipeline:

We absolutely need to take breaks at work

As the summer wraps up, vacations end, and we find ourselves back at our desks and in front of a computer screen, it is not too hard to rationalize taking a quick break. Fortunately, scientific studies fully support and encourage taking breaks, as these brief moments of downtime can improve productivity and facilitate more creative approaches. During the break, the brain is able to recharge and reevaluate task objectives at hand. Click the link above for more scientific reasons to prioritize downtime and great productivity-enhancing suggestions for the breaks you take.


'Women rate higher in overall competencies for senior leadership positions" 

Korn Ferry, a leadership and talent consulting firm, has found that women generally score higher than men in multiple dimensions of leadership style and, importantly, in the majority of skills and competencies critical for senior leadership success. These skills include employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and building talent. The limiting factor for women in the workplace is lack of experiences and assignments that challenge and grow their skill sets during mid-level business roles. Either women are not being offered these opportunities or they are not accepting them as frequently as they should, which is interfering with their progress in moving up leadership levels. Click the link above for more on Korn Ferry's findings and recommendations for overcoming obstacles that can stymie career growth.  

Interesting Features at PWN for 8.18.14

News from the PWN Pipeline:

Hope you are all having a fantastic summer and getting a bit of time off to relax and recharge. We'll be back in September with more regular weekly blog posts, but we wanted to share an important and interesting article regarding erosion of professionalism at conferences and meetings.


"Is this a professional conversation or a prelude to being asked out?" 

Dr. Meg Urry penned a CNN column describing her response to a recent nationwide survey conducted by the University of Illinois that examined field site work environments and experiences, particularly as they relate to sexual harassment and assault. The survey found that women (26%) were far more likely to report experiencing unwanted physical contact of a sexual nature (touching, physical threats, rape) than men (6%). Dr. Urry writes that it has become all too commonplace for young female scientists to experience unwanted attention and harassment, particularly at field sites and scientific meetings, by older male scientists who ignore scientific acumen in favor of flirtatious remarks. To overcome these types of comments or unsolicited propositions, she suggests always keeping the focus on your science and ignoring any inappropriate remarks.