A new study from MyBioSource, a biological reagents company, has revealed the importance of female leadership and mentorship when it comes to advancing in your career as a woman in STEM.
According to the report, 45% of women working in STEM have never received a promotion. Ove the past two years, 19% have been passed over for a promotion. These women cited a “lack of women in existing leadership” as the reason they did not receive a promotion.
An exclusively male presence in leadership positions was the top cited reason (15%), while exclusion from informal networking events was a close second (11%). Women believe their difficulty connecting with male supervisors (9%) and perceived lack of commitment due to family responsible (6%) also played a role in preventing their promotion. Additionally, 69% said a male colleague got the promotion instead.
For this report, MyBioSpace surveyed 600 women from around the world currently working in a STEM field. Among them, 10% were Gen X or older, 55% were millennials, and 35% were Gen Z.
Regarding mentorship, 35% had a female mentor, while 65% did not—and that played a pivotal role in professional development. Sixty-one percent of women who had a female mentor received a pay increase in the past over, compared with the 53% of women who received an increase but did not have a female mentor. It’s the same story for promotions—31% of women with a female mentor received a promotion in the last year compared with only 21% of their peers without female mentorship. Additionally, those with a female mentor experienced an average 8% salary increase at their last raise, marginally eclipsing the 7% increase for those without.
Interestingly, women working remotely (20%) reported the fewest negative workplace experiences, contrasting with in-person (14%) and hybrid (13%) female workers. Moreover, the sense of being disrespected, undervalued, or not taken seriously was notably higher in in-person environments (13%) compared to hybrid (6%) or remote (5%) ones. This data suggests that remote and hybrid work models may offer more equitable environments for women in STEM, with flexible work arrangements potentially fostering a more inclusive and respectful professional landscape.
Although previous research has found that STEM jobs provide work-life balance and a good paycheck, this may not be entirely true for many women. The survey shows that three-quarters of women in STEM have clocked overtime in the past year, yet only 36% were compensated for the extra hours. Additionally, women reported that family obligations conflicted with professional commitments fairly often: 37% of the survey respondents said they had to miss work for a family event. Conversely, nearly as many (38%) had missed a family event to fulfill work commitments.
Perhaps the most promising data to come out of the survey was evidence of “changing times.” Sixty-five percent of baby boomers, Gen X and millennial women in STEM said they believe workplace gender equality has improved since the beginning of their careers.
However, they also shared their visions for further progress. The most desired change was salary transparency, with 68% advocating for more openness about pay. The U.S. is working toward this, with some states having already enacted pay transparency laws.
Similarly, many also called for more transparency in advancement criteria (53%), highlighting a quest for fairness and clarity in how women can progress in their STEM careers.
Having more women in leadership roles was another top wish, with 61% emphasizing the need for more female representation at the top. Others wanted more flexible schedules (51%), which can help align workers’ professional lives with their personal needs.