I work in a male-dominated field, so I understand the need for more women in STEM. So does the Global Semiconductor Alliance, and they’re rolling out a Women’s Leadership Initiative to help encourage more women to get involved in science and technology.
They’ve set the following goals for the WLI:
Ensure that the semiconductor industry gets its fair share of STEM-focused female candidates by enhancing the image of the industry and promoting it to young women.
Ensure that women are an integral part of the leadership of the semiconductor industry.
Understand why women who have joined the industry are leaving or not rising within their companies and establish best practices for companies to better nurture, network, mentor and promote women.
Create programs to highlight and support female entrepreneurs.
Lead efforts for an enhanced image campaign for the industry through internship programs, conferences, universities.
Establish a base-line for measuring YoY progress of the industry based on the research being conducted through the WLI Research Committee.
Establish best practices for companies and programs and projects to help women succeed within their companies and with their own companies.
Continue recognizing women through the Rising Women of Influence Award submission and evaluation process. This Award recognizes and profiles this next generation of women leaders in the semiconductor industry. The inaugural award was presented at the GSA Annual Awards Dinner in 2018 and will be presented each year.
The GSA consists of some heavy hitters in semiconductors, from Qualcomm to NVIDIA, so that opens a lot of opportunities. And it’s great to see big names in tech recognizing the importance of having women be more represented. Harvard Business Review took a look at gender diversity in the workplace and found that companies that embrace gender diversity and incorporate it into their corporate culture see a productivity boost. In other words, it’s not enough to pay lip service to hiring more women, it means really committing to it. The WLI is a great sign that the semiconductor companies are following the HBR’s logic and doing more to bring a culture shift to women in STEM.
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