Women in STEM Battle Pay Inequality, Quiet Promotions

The underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields globally highlights the need for greater efforts to achieve gender equality and create inclusive work environments.

Key findings from a MyBioSource survey earlier this year of 600 women working in STEM indicate that while progress has been made, disparities persist in various aspects of their professional lives.

The survey revealed that 1 in 10 women in STEM are aware of being paid less than their male counterparts, with another third suspecting they are being paid less, highlighting an ongoing gender pay gap.

Moreover, nearly half of the respondents reported never having been promoted, with gender bias in career progression evident, as evidenced by 69% of those overlooked for promotions indicating that a male colleague received the promotion instead.

The survey explored other gender-based discrimination experienced by women in their workplaces.

While managers generally showed respect and recognition, a significant portion of respondents felt undervalued and overlooked, with issues such as being talked over in meetings and experiencing mansplaining being prevalent.

Female Mentorship in STEM Driving Promotions, Raises

However, the presence of female mentors emerged as a significant factor in promoting professional growth, with 31% of those mentored reporting a promotion in the last year.

Related:A History of Trailblazing Women in STEM

Additionally, women with female mentors experienced higher salary increases, indicating the importance of mentorship in navigating career advancement in STEM fields.

"Furthermore, when they did get a pay increase, women with female mentors received a greater increase than those without a mentor," explained Rachel Kirsch of MyBioSource. "Additionally, those with a female mentor were less likely to be ignored in meetings, possibly because they'd been trained by their mentor how to avoid such scenarios."

Among women in STEM, 20% reported they had been passed over for a promotion in the past year.

Kirsch said these missed promotions may be partly because 53% feel their coworkers underestimate their abilities.

"However, a lack of change in title or salary didn't always mean our respondents weren't taking on more work," she added.

More than half (56%) said they had been "quietly promoted" last year or given an increase in responsibility without a commiserate change in pay or position.

Are Women in STEM Feeling Respected?

Overall, two in three women in STEM reported feeling respected in the workplace; however, certain experiences impacted that perception.

Related:Beyond a Bunch of Guys: How One IT Company Boosted Women's Representation

For example, the survey found that among those being paid for working overtime, nearly three-quarters (72%) felt respected, but among those working unpaid overtime, only 62% felt respected.

In addition, 68% of women with female managers felt respected compared with 64% of those with male managers.

Lastly, 68% of those who had not been passed over for a promotion believed they were respected in comparison with only 56% of those who had been passed over.

Remote Work

Remote work emerged as a potentially more equitable environment for women in STEM, with fewer negative workplace experiences reported compared with in-person or hybrid work arrangements.

"This could be for several reasons. First, several of the negative workplace experiences we asked about have to do with physical appearance," Kirsch said. "People who work remotely don't see others' physical appearance as often as those working in-person."

This was reflected in the respondents' experiences, with 43% saying a coworker had made negative comments about their hair, makeup, or appearance compared with 36% of those working remotely.

"Second, fully online workplaces may make it easier to reach a broad audience," she added. "For instance, organizing a large meeting to celebrate an employee's accomplishments may be difficult, but sending a companywide message celebrating that employee is easy."

Kirsch pointed out that nearly a third of women working in-person felt their accomplishments had been inadequately acknowledged, but only a quarter of those working remotely felt this way.

Despite the challenges, most women in STEM reported regularly feeling productive at work, although many also expressed feelings of stress, anxiety, and burnout.

"What was most surprising and encouraging from our study was how many women in STEM believe that equality has improved throughout their careers," Kirsch said.

Two-thirds of baby boomers, Gen X, and millennial women working in STEM believe the workplace is more equal now than when they started their careers, she said.

"It was also incredibly informative that the women gave the changes they most wanted to see, which included salary transparency, more women in leadership roles, and more clear criteria on how to be promoted," Kirsch said.