Women in Nontraditional Fields

by Therese Droste

Today, more and more many traditionally male-dominated fields are now drawing more women. The worlds of high tech, science and management are just a few areas where, more and more, women are making their mark.

Women in High Tech

Katherine Tobin, senior director of research at Catalyst, a Manhattan-based research and advisory group for women recently performed a study called "Leadership Careers in High Tech: Wired for Success." The study included 19 women and 11 men who are "emerging leaders" in 10 technology companies that sell, develop, design and service computer hardware, software and telecommunications.

In Tobin's study, most women agreed mentors were vital to their careers. "Women had stories of multiple mentors and said they would not be where they were today if they hadn't had their mentors," says Tobin.

Although women make up 51 percent of the population and earn 56 percent of all bachelor-level degrees awarded, women earned only 27 percent of the bachelor-level computer and information science degrees awarded by US academic institutions from 1997 to '98. And the share of all computer science degrees awarded to women in the US has fallen from a peak of 37 percent from 1984 to '85 to 27 percent from 1997 to '98, according to the US Department of Education.

Got a Head for Science?

If you have a head for science, don't shy away from pursuing your talents. Indeed, science is another burgeoning field for women. The Washington, DC-based American Association for the Advancement of Science's first ever study of its members reveals that not only do most scientists like their jobs, they also feel their education has paid off in a highly rewarding, if not lucrative, career.

According to the study, the number of women joining life sciences will find a gender pay gap: Men earn almost one-third more than women do -- $94,000 versus $72,000. The salary gap is greatest among academic administrators, where the midpoint is $120,000 for men and $75,000 for women; in industry and government, the pay is $160,000 for men and $125,000 for women.

The gender gap isn't limited to the workplace, either. Most women scientists in the study felt their careers were constrained to some extent by their spouses. On the other hand, only 7 percent of the male scientists felt their spouse's career needs had seriously affected their own. As such, more women than men reported holding part-time jobs.

Women in Management and on Boards

How are women in management faring compared to five years ago? A recent report of data from 10 industries reflects that female managers continue to lag behind men in both pay and advancement. "A New Look Through the Glass Ceiling: Where are the Women?" was released in January by Representatives John Dingell (D-Michigan) and Carolyn Maloney (D-New York). According to the report, women managers are more common in personnel, human relations, education and related fields. Only one of the industries studied -- professional medical services -- had more women managers than men.

Although women in management may lag behind men, there is some progress in the number of women on corporate boards -- a presence that directly impacts a company's direction as well as its attitude toward women. In the "2001 Census of Women Board Directors of the Fortune 1000," another report released by Catalyst, women hold 12.4 percent of all board seats in the Fortune 500, an increase from 11.2 percent in 1999, and almost 11 percent of all board seats in the Fortune 1000, up from 10 percent in 1999.

With these stats, who knows what the future holds?