Meeting Mentoring Needs in Physical Oceanography: An Evaluation of the Impact of MPOWIR
Loading...
Date
2018-12
Authors
Mouw, Colleen B.
Clem, Sarah
Legg, Sonya
Stockard, Jean
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Oceanography Society
Abstract
After a decade of program offerings, the Mentoring Physical Oceanography
Women to Increase Retention (MPOWIR) program initiated a community-wide survey
to (1) assess the impact MPOWIR has had on retention of women in the field of
physical oceanography, and (2) gauge where needs are being met and where gaps still
exist. To investigate the impact of MPOWIR, we compare MPOWIR participants with
male and female cohorts that did not participate in MPOWIR but were at a similar
career stage. The survey results indicate MPOWIR has had a substantial impact by aiding
individuals in finding and developing mentoring relationships. MPOWIR women
are far more likely to have a mentor, and they report having mentors in addition to
their advisors, indicating proactive seeking of mentoring relationships. Survey results
identify many unmet mentoring needs for both men and women, but MPOWIR participants
appear to be receiving more from their mentoring relationships than their
non-MPOWIR cohorts. The majority of survey respondents reported there were challenges
to achieving career goals, but MPOWIR participants were significantly more
likely to have attained their career goals, even though they had received their PhDs
more recently. Eighty-eight percent of survey respondents with PhDs were employed
in oceanography, irrespective of participation in MPOWIR. MPOWIR women indicate
the program has had a large impact on their lives, with the greatest effect being expansion
of professional networks and exposure to professional development skills. Senior
participants in the program (who serve as mentors to junior scientists) also reported
significant professional and personal growth from being involved. Data obtained
independently of the survey show that, of the 173 women who have participated in
MPOWIR, the recent PhDs are predominantly in postdoctoral positions as expected,
but for participants receiving their PhDs prior to 2012, an impressive 80% are in faculty
or university/government/nonprofit research positions. Thus, MPOWIR appears
to have had an important impact on retention and career satisfaction of its participants
Description
9 pages
Keywords
Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women to Increase Retention, Career Satisfaction, Post-Grad Success
Citation
Mouw, C. B., Clem, S., Legg, S., & Stockard, J. (2018). Meeting Mentoring Needs in Physical Oceanography: An Evaluation of the Impact of MPOWIR. Oceanography, 31(4), 171—179. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26544304