Tough Talk: Fifty-One Percent

By: Kevin Biller

An industry is comprised of more than just technology, marketing, production and sales. To be sure, it is the people that mold us as an identifiable and enduring enterprise.

Lately I have had cause to reflect upon the demographics of the powder coating industry. When I look around, I see a propensity of men staffing our laboratories and production facilities. And when I revisit my 38 years in the industry, only a few female faces appear in my historic newsreel. I made a tally of how many women coworkers I have had in my technical career and only count six out of the over one hundred colleagues in which I have shared the lab bench.

This recognition doesn’t jibe with the gender breakdown of the population, nor does it even shadow the low level of women possessing chemistry and engineering degrees. Developed nations report an average population of about 51 percent women. Worldwide, the ratio is somewhat skewed in the other direction to 49.5 percent (thank you China, Bangladesh and India). UNESCO reports that only 28 percent of the world’s researchers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) are women. The 2015 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that women represent a paltry 14.6 percent of chemical engineers but an encouraging 36.1 percent of chemists and material scientists. These statistics beg more than a few questions. Are girls directed to seek less scientific academic paths? Are more barriers placed in a woman’s pursuit of a technical degree? And when women finally enter a scientific field, is it more difficult to excel and therefore feel compelled to drop-out? A recent study conducted by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), University of California Irvine, Rice University and McGill University offers insight into the world faced by woman engineers. The paper entitled, “Persistence is Culture: Professional Socialization and the Reproduction of Sex Segregation,” addresses how women engineers are affected in the academic environment, the paucity in mentorship and the demands of women maintaining a work/family life balance. The paper opines, “Informal interactions with peers and everyday sexism in teams and internships are particularly salient building blocks of [gender] segregation.” The researchers note: “For many women, their first encounter with collaboration is to be treated in gender stereotypical ways.” And by contrast, as the researchers note in the paper, “Almost without exception, we find that the men interpret the experience of internships and summer jobs as a positive experience.”

Claire D’Andola deftly analyzes the lack of gender parity in her February 2016 editorial column for Chemistry: A European Journal, entitled, “Women in Chemistry – Where are We Today.” Dr. D’Andola queried four academics currently working in the field from Imperial College London, Queen Mary University of London, Moscow State University and the Arbeitskreis Chancengleichheit in der Chemie AKCC, a working group of the German Chemical Society. They provided their personal views on gender parity in chemistry and on what can and is being done to encourage more women to enter and stay in the chemical professions. They all recognize the dearth of women in chemistry, however they posit that the situation is complex and remedies are not always obvious. The issue of childrearing and its interruption of one’s career was cited as one of the major influences on the trajectory of a woman’s progression in the field. The implementation of more accommodating parental leave policies are recommended to ease re-entry opportunities when mothers are ready to transition back to their careers.

In spite of a history of scant representation of women in the chemistry and engineering fields, positive strides are being made. Initiatives to encourage and support the inclusion of more women in chemistry and engineering are evident in both industry and academia. The Equality Challenge Unit was established in the UK to encourage and recognize the commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. In the United States, the Office of Science and Technology Policy is dedicated to increasing the participation of women and girls in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics by increasing the engagement of girls with STEM subjects in formal and informal environments, encouraging mentoring to support women throughout their academic and professional experiences, and supporting efforts to retain women in the STEM workforce.

Change takes time and it will take generations to realize a significant impact. I feel it starts in the home when parents make the simple choices of which toys they give their daughters. Tools and building sets should be part of their playtime experience. Primary through secondary education should encourage participation in all academic fields, including science and math. Mentorship is a crucial component that will lead to a stronger, more stable representation of women in the technical arena. With more attention to the inclusion of women into scientific careers, we can experience a future with limitless inspiration to broaden the advancement of technology– including the powder coating industry.

Kevin Biller is technical editor of Powder Coated Tough magazine and president of The Powder Coating Research Group. He can be reached via email at kevinbiller@yahoo.com.