Gender Equity in a Department of Energy National Laboratory: Report of a COACh-Sponsored Survey, Interviews, and Workshop Experience
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Date
2015-09
Authors
Stockard, Jean
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
COACh
Abstract
The DOE Sponsored National Laboratories perform work considered crucial to sustaining
national scientific and technical capabilities. Employing the most talented and
accomplished scientists through tapping the nation’s wide diversity of expertise is central
to their success. Yet, only a small proportion of the research staff at national labs are
women, and the percentages are even smaller in leadership positions, proportions that
appear to be noticeably smaller than in the academic sector.
COACh was invited to conduct a workshop on employee negotiations at one national lab
in the spring of 2013 and, as part of this process, gathered information about the career
concerns of women scientists at the lab. Data gathered from written surveys, formal
interviews, and observations at the workshop indicate that the women were highly
dedicated to their science and enjoyed their work. However, the vast majority also
expressed concerns related to workplace climate, communication between management
and staff, transparency of procedures and policies, and opportunities for advancement.
While the majority of interviewees felt that they had not personally experienced gender
inequities, they thought that other individuals and experienced them and/or that they were
evident at an organizational level.
Three general recommendations regarding COACh support for the lab were derived: 1)
employee training regarding communication and management skills, career development
and networking, work-life balance, and cross-cultural communication; 2) consultation on
developing effective processes for promoting greater equity, and 3) monitoring the lab’s
progress in promoting equity.
The success of the National Science Foundation sponsored ADVANCE program in
promoting equity in the academic world is cited as a possible model for promoting equity
in the national labs. Understanding the extent to which the concerns expressed by the
women in the lab discussed in this report generalize to other settings is a crucial first step
in the process.
Description
9 pages
Keywords
Department of Energy, COACh, Lab Women, survey
Citation
Gender Equity in a Department of Energy National Laboratory: Report of a COACh-Sponsored Survey, Interviews, and Workshop Experience”, J. Stockard and G.L. Richmond, September 2015. University of Oregon, Eugene: COACh.