Programs and Policies to Encourage Women

Programs that could be implemented to encourage women are discussed by [Keith et al 1990,Leveson 1989,Sandler 1986], and interested readers are urged to read the full suggestions in these documents. Many of the following suggestions are from these sources. While the suggestions are geared to universities, most can be adapted to industry as well. Recommended actions are:

• Making clear that sexual harassment will not be tolerated. Individuals in supervisory positions, such as professors or managers, should make it clear that they will not tolerate sexual harassment. Not only would this discourage such behavior, but harassed females presumably would feel more comfortable reporting any problems that do occur to supervisors who have made it clear that they are aware of the possibility of sexual harassment and want to fight it.

  One way an EECS department head did this was by announcing during a graduate orientation session that sexual harassment was unacceptable and that any harassment victims or witnesses should alert someone in a position of authority. See [Rowe 1981,Rowe 1985] for advice on implementing effective programs to fight sexual harassment.

• Educating all members of the academic community --- including board members, administrators, faculty, students, and staff --- about professional climate issues; the various forms differential treatment takes; and the institution's commitment to ensure equitable treatment [Sandler 1986, page 17,]. One way many schools do this is by teaching about subconscious discrimination when training graduate students to be TAs.

• Establishing a dialogue with women in the department to make sure their concerns are being communicated and addressed. Many women have given thought to how their department could be improved but are never asked.

• Regularly gathering data by sex, race, and age covering areas such as salary, benefits, promotional analyses, special perquisites, awards, grants, courseload, advising load, committee assignments, and so on to determine if men and women at all ranks and within all units are treated equitably with regard to responsibilities and rewards [Sandler 1986, page 18,].

• Making equitable treatment of women and minorities part of the formal reward structure. For example, when evaluating performance, give commendations to individuals and extra positions to departments that excel in this area [Sandler 1986, page 19,].

• Providing a method for individuals to turn off the tenure clock so they can have children without sacrificing their career.

• Providing opportunities for professors to serve as mentors to students or for graduate students to mentor undergraduates.

• Making sure that female students are involved in research. Much of the information about research opportunities, particularly at the undergraduate level, is communicated informally, and some students may be left out. Additionally, if pre-college experience is a prerequisite for undergraduate research, women and minorities, who tend to enter with less experience, may fall further behind. This could be avoided by informing students what knowledge is needed for interesting jobs and encouraging them to take such classes early, or by setting aside money for research groups that are willing to provide training.