Women Forge Their Own Path to Success
BY MELANIE CSEPIGA
This story ran on nwitimes.com on Sunday, May 1, 2005 12:14 AM CDT
Raised in a climate of seemingly unlimited career options in a world far different from that of their mothers -- and light years away from their grandmothers -- women today are forging careers in law, engineering, law enforcement, real estate and other fields traditionally filled by men.
When Harvard University President Lawrence Summers seemed to imply in a January address that there are differences between females and males when it comes to the sciences and math, he sparked a national debate that continues to rumble in the halls of academia and the workplace.
Although women have made inroads into such fields as architecture, engineering and construction, their presence is still a minority one.
That's why, when Sandra Joseph, 36, heads to a construction job site as she often does as a civil engineer with Christopher B. Burke Engineering in Crown Point, she hears catcalls.
"I get comments on the job site. Any woman would. It doesn't affect my career," she says.
The Florida State University graduate acknowledges that there were few women graduating in her field at the time, but she and other female engineering graduates benefited from more job interview opportunities than did the males, she said, perhaps due to diversity quotas.
"I thought I would be at a desk doing design. I didn't expect to go into the field, but I gravitated toward it," Joseph says, adding that she has never been made to feel that her gender was an issue. "Actually, on the job, I had more issues with age earlier in my career," she said.
In a 2000 address, Dr. Sheila Widnall, former secretary of the U.S. Air Force, astrophysicist, master pilot and MIT professor, discussed the barriers women face in engineering, including subtle comments from male university faculty members that imply women do not belong in the field.
"We must recognize that women are differentially affected by a hostile climate. Treat a male student badly, and he will think you are a jerk. Treat a female student badly, and she will think you have finally discovered that she doesn't belong in engineering," she says, adding, "It's not easy being a pioneer. it's not easy having to prove every day that you belong. It's not easy being invisible or having your ideas credited to someone else."
During one week in February, Hewlett-Packard's flamboyant female CEO Carly Fiorinaa was out after six years, but Brenda Barnes was in as the first female CEO of Chicago-based Sara Lee Corp.
Such stories make headlines, because women who make it to the top of major corporations remain a rare breed.
In an article in the Oct. 28, 2003, issue of Business Week, Laura D'Andrea Tyson, dean of London Business School, looked at why so few women make it to the top rung of the corporate ladder.
Tyson said that both experimental and survey research show that men are much more likely than women to negotiate for pay, promotions and recognition in the business world. That is supported by Professor Linda Babcock of Carnegie Mellon University, who, in her writings, has noted that only 7 percent of the female graduates from master's degree programs at Carnegie negotiate for a higher salary than that offered, while 57 percent of male graduates do.
Such statistics are no surprise to Anita Dygert-Gearheart, CEO of Campagna Academy in Schererville.
"To be able to negotiate from a position of strength is a learned skill," she says, adding it is not one generally taught to females.
Likewise, Denise Dillard, CEO of Workforce Development Services Inc., in Gary, said females are not taught how to close a deal. Both she and Dygert-Gearheart were trained in negotiations and certified by Harvard University.
Today's courtrooms, in which it is not uncommon to see female attorneys question female law enforcement officers before female judges, may have adjusted their dress code, but club rules often still apply.
"I'm here to tell you that the good ol' boys club is alive and well," Catheron Paras, a Merrillville attorney largely practicing criminal law, says.
"In dealing with other attorneys and judges you have to be careful. It's a predominantly male business. You really have to portray yourself as strong, twice as strong in negotiating agreements."
Paras says that she begins with a friendly attitude, but if she sees it is not working, "I will not allow one of the good ol' boys club to treat me differently. I stand up for myself."
This story ran on nwitimes.com on Sunday, May 1, 2005 12:14 AM CDT
Raised in a climate of seemingly unlimited career options in a world far different from that of their mothers -- and light years away from their grandmothers -- women today are forging careers in law, engineering, law enforcement, real estate and other fields traditionally filled by men.
When Harvard University President Lawrence Summers seemed to imply in a January address that there are differences between females and males when it comes to the sciences and math, he sparked a national debate that continues to rumble in the halls of academia and the workplace.
Although women have made inroads into such fields as architecture, engineering and construction, their presence is still a minority one.
That's why, when Sandra Joseph, 36, heads to a construction job site as she often does as a civil engineer with Christopher B. Burke Engineering in Crown Point, she hears catcalls.
"I get comments on the job site. Any woman would. It doesn't affect my career," she says.
The Florida State University graduate acknowledges that there were few women graduating in her field at the time, but she and other female engineering graduates benefited from more job interview opportunities than did the males, she said, perhaps due to diversity quotas.
"I thought I would be at a desk doing design. I didn't expect to go into the field, but I gravitated toward it," Joseph says, adding that she has never been made to feel that her gender was an issue. "Actually, on the job, I had more issues with age earlier in my career," she said.
In a 2000 address, Dr. Sheila Widnall, former secretary of the U.S. Air Force, astrophysicist, master pilot and MIT professor, discussed the barriers women face in engineering, including subtle comments from male university faculty members that imply women do not belong in the field.
"We must recognize that women are differentially affected by a hostile climate. Treat a male student badly, and he will think you are a jerk. Treat a female student badly, and she will think you have finally discovered that she doesn't belong in engineering," she says, adding, "It's not easy being a pioneer. it's not easy having to prove every day that you belong. It's not easy being invisible or having your ideas credited to someone else."
During one week in February, Hewlett-Packard's flamboyant female CEO Carly Fiorinaa was out after six years, but Brenda Barnes was in as the first female CEO of Chicago-based Sara Lee Corp.
Such stories make headlines, because women who make it to the top of major corporations remain a rare breed.
In an article in the Oct. 28, 2003, issue of Business Week, Laura D'Andrea Tyson, dean of London Business School, looked at why so few women make it to the top rung of the corporate ladder.
Tyson said that both experimental and survey research show that men are much more likely than women to negotiate for pay, promotions and recognition in the business world. That is supported by Professor Linda Babcock of Carnegie Mellon University, who, in her writings, has noted that only 7 percent of the female graduates from master's degree programs at Carnegie negotiate for a higher salary than that offered, while 57 percent of male graduates do.
Such statistics are no surprise to Anita Dygert-Gearheart, CEO of Campagna Academy in Schererville.
"To be able to negotiate from a position of strength is a learned skill," she says, adding it is not one generally taught to females.
Likewise, Denise Dillard, CEO of Workforce Development Services Inc., in Gary, said females are not taught how to close a deal. Both she and Dygert-Gearheart were trained in negotiations and certified by Harvard University.
Today's courtrooms, in which it is not uncommon to see female attorneys question female law enforcement officers before female judges, may have adjusted their dress code, but club rules often still apply.
"I'm here to tell you that the good ol' boys club is alive and well," Catheron Paras, a Merrillville attorney largely practicing criminal law, says.
"In dealing with other attorneys and judges you have to be careful. It's a predominantly male business. You really have to portray yourself as strong, twice as strong in negotiating agreements."
Paras says that she begins with a friendly attitude, but if she sees it is not working, "I will not allow one of the good ol' boys club to treat me differently. I stand up for myself."
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