HD6060-.A84-2008-PDF-Athena-factor-Reversing-the-brain-drain-in-science,-engineering,-and-technology

The Athena Factor: Reversing the Brain Drain in Science, Engineering, and Technology
HBR Research Report
FIGURE 7.6
Company B: Prime Motivators for Women
80
60
40
54%
67%
48%
58%
61%
67%
50%
20
17%
0
Ability to contribute
to the well-being
of society
Being highly
compensated
Receiving recognition
from my company
Having a
powerful position
U.S.
Europe
about their work. These extraordinarily high levels of commitment dwindle with age, particularly
during the troublesome years between 35 and 39.
In both the United States and Europe, women working for this company were drawn to their jobs
because they wanted to contribute to the well-being of society. In both regions “giving back” is
a more powerful motivating factor than compensation. There is one striking difference between
locations: Women at Company B in Europe are much more concerned with having a position of
power than are their U.S. counterparts.
When it comes to ambition, women engineers at Company B rate higher than the average SET
professional. Thirty-nine percent of women here, compared with 23% of women in the national
survey, consider themselves to be extremely or very ambitious.
A Macho Hard Hat Culture and Isolation
Although women at this company love their jobs and have tremendous passion for their field,
they find themselves dealing with a hostile culture that causes isolation. Thirty-eight percent of
women engineers at Company B working in the United States say they are working in macho, hard
hat cultures. And 45% of these women feel isolated on the job, compared with 17% of their male
colleagues. Sixty percent of women feel excluded from the old boys’ network. As figure 7.7 shows,
these issues are mitigated in the company’s European locations. There, female engineers feel
less isolated, partly because they have greater access to role models and mentors (see figure 7.8).
Sponsors, however, are rare for women in both locations.
Mysterious Career Paths
As a result of macho cultures and isolation, many female engineers at Company B feel that their
careers have stalled. Women in Europe, who report less isolation, are less likely to share this
feeling. Considerably more U.S. women working for Company B feel that they are not advancing—
56% versus 39% in Europe (see figure 7.9). This phenomenon is linked to two causes: 56% of
women working at this company in the United States believe that the road ahead is mysterious,
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