In the Table Talks this past week, we discussed whether training programs or classes are successful if the change in behavior that the program/class is aiming for does not occur. For instance, the example that was brought up at dinner by Beverly was whether a class where a person learned about the negative consequences of sexist behavior but still continued to exhibit sexist behavior afterwards is a successful class. In my personal opinion, I think that if the class makes you think about whether or not the behavior you are doing is sexist (regardless of whether or not you continue to exhibit this sexist behavior), then the class was successful. While it would be ideal if everyone attending the class is able to identify whether or not their behavior is sexist and then is able to fix their behavior if it is sexist, I think that if the person is able to recognize the sexism in their behavior, then that is all that the class can really do. After all, the instructor cannot follow the person around and encourage the person to change their behavior every time they do something sexist – the class can only provide the person with the tools and knowledge and hope that the person will utilize these to stop acting in a sexist manner. All in all, I thought this was a really interesting talk to attend and I enjoyed hearing other people’s thoughts on sexism in the workplace!

STEM industry is an industry that heavily dominates by males. Over 60 percent of employees are male in the top tech companies. I learned that more women with a stem degree go into healthcare and education industry rather than stem industry. After the table talk discussion, I feel like women should be more proactive when experiencing sexism at the workplace. On the other hand, the men need to think twice before they speak something out loud in the workplace. Another action that companies should take is to give leadership position to more women. Therefore, women can have a stronger voice in the company.

A question that was posed throughout the table talk was how to face sexism in the workforce and if we can every reach an age where their is equality in the workforce. We are living in an era where women are speaking their minds more freely than ever before. The current MeToo movement has women uniting and standing up for the ways they believe they should be treated. We are breaking down the wall of sexism. It is occurring slowly, but with more and more awareness toward the daily scrutiny and verbal expressions that women experience will hopefully bring us toward a better future. I saw this very interesting post on Twitter about the phrases that women hear on a daily basis that we should not be fine with, but since they occur daily we have become accustomed to them. For instance, these phrases are “you should smile more,” “you should wear makeup,” “you shouldn’t act that way because you are a girl,” “you should do this career because you are a girl,” “girl’s can’t do math.” All the phrases are a representation of sexism that women experience daily, but since society has told us this is normal and that this is what we should be used, we do not get mad about it. However, none of these things should be said because this creates the division between females and males, which gives men the power over females. There should be more conversations and more change occurring so that women can live their truest life without having to listen to this kind of scrutiny. This kind of mentality can especially be seen in the STEM fields because they have been predominantly overpowered by males. In many instances, males, whether knowingly or unknowingly, will diminish the intellect of women in the same career path just solely on the basis of her gender. For instance, in my STEM class when I am working on a group assignment, the males in the group will give the females the easier roles because they believe that women cannot handle the more challenging tasks. This divide is small, but it is still very prevalent. The only way that change can be implemented is if women speak up more about the sexism they face and demand that males change their actions. If we do not demand that men change their way of though, then we will not see change. Women need to attain more higher up positions, so that women can feel empowered to chase after their dreams.

In this table talk, it has been discussed that even though there is currently the highest volume of women studying STEM programs than ever before, men are still dominating the tech fields. Women are graduating from the same fields as men, but are taking jobs in healthcare or teaching instead. Why is this happening? The first reason could be that women are encouraged to take “easier” jobs so that there is more flexibility in their schedules so that they have time to devote to raising a family. A lot of women may face pressure from their families to give up their career goals for familial life, but as we transition into a new generation of young and bright women, less women are willing to set their education and career goals aside. Yet, the tech field is still dominated by men. A lot of women experience men making comments that are condescending, whether it be intentional or not. A possible solution would be to implement stricter HR guidelines that would inform employees what is and isn’t appropriate in order to develop a welcoming environment to all genders. I feel like HR’s current guidelines are prevalent, but as the older generation retire with their stubborn mindsets, a real change will take place. More conscious people will enter the workforce and women would be encouraged to pursue careers in the tech fields.