Gender

Industry site visits

The UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (UKRC) together with the Institute of Physics (IOP), Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Institution of Electrical Engineers and Royal Society of Chemistry propose to offer organisations, which employ a significant number of people in these sectors, a Gender Site Visit based on the successful IOP program to university physics departments.

The IOP’s successful programme of site visits to UK University physics departments looked at the culture of the organisation with respect to gender, spreading good practice and making suggestions for improvement. At the end of one visit, the Head of Department wrote as follows:

“I look forward to your final summary. My notes of your verbal report already provide most helpful advice. By the end of the day, I had already received a comment from a female member of the School expressing her appreciation of the visit and the opportunity to take part in a general discussion. I commend the Institute of Physics for supporting this initiative.”

Why focus on gender?
It is widely recognised that a shortage of qualified people and the increasing demand for scientific and engineering skills is threatening the UK’s productivity, competitiveness and level of innovation. This shortage is compounded by the high leakage rate of science, engineering and technology (SET) graduates to other sectors and is particularly significant for female graduates.

Although the number of women in SET careers has increased, they still account for just 18.7% of the workforce within SET sectors[1]. Whilst many employers value the contribution of their female employees, a range of issues can continue to impede their progress. In practice, this means that women are less likely than men to achieve career progression and are more likely to leave the SET industry. Currently, there are 50,000 women with SET qualifications or experience who are not working in these sectors. The benefits to a company of having a more diverse workforce, and being able to draw on a range of perspectives and knowledge, are also gaining increasing recognition.

The aim of the gender Site Visit programme
The Gender Site Visit Programme aims to offer companies a constructive and supportive arena in which to gain further understanding of the specific factors impacting on women’s progression in SET in their workplace.

The programme aims to develop an approach that supports organisations in working towards best practice regarding gender equality, rather than to adopt a role as an external auditor.

An initial meeting would take place to agree an effective structure for the one-day visit. The visit would involve a panel of six people interviewing both men and women at different levels of the department / organisation and reviewing a range of policies and practices. The panel would comprise of people with experience in SET and with understanding of the factors impacting on women’s progression in these areas. They will explore the culture of the organisation in relation to gender and aim to highlight both areas of good practice and areas for improvement. This visit would be followed up with a confidential written report.

Feedback from the pilot companies and panels will then be used to inform the final format of the Gender Site Visit Programme and to ensure that the Programme maintains a supportive and constructive approach.

A pilot visit was conducted at Rolls-Royce in October 2006: five focus groups were held with female staff, female senior and middle management, male staff, male middle managers and male senior managers. The topics included flexible working, barriers to women’s progression, paternity leave and maternity leave. Based on the results of the UKRC/Institute visit, the Global head of Purchasing at Rolls-Royce has agreed to set up a Global Purchasing Diversity Council to look at and address the actions from the site visit.

A dissemination session was held at the Institute in June 2007, which included a talk from the Diversity Director at Rolls-Royce, UK, Karen Brown, who spoke about the positive impact the scheme had had on the organisation. The new good practice guide: “SET Workplace Cultures: Making a Positive Impact” can be obtained by going to the UKRC website

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