Discrimination is still an issue in the defense industry, but perception of discrimination is an even bigger factor keeping women from pursuing government and defense industry careers, according to a recent ClearanceJobs.com survey of cleared professionals.
ClearanceJobs surveyed more than 1200 men and women, asking for their thoughts and experiences with discrimination in the defense industry. In almost every area, men and women were in near agreement. The defense industry is a “boys’ club,” and until more women pursue defense careers, it’s likely to stay that way.
Eighty-three percent of female respondents said they had witnessed discrimination or experienced it first-hand. When asked to provide examples, women cited being treated differently than men, being talked down to, receiving inappropriate comments about attire, and in some cases blatant discrimination for having children or being pregnant.
The Numbers:
More than 50 percent of respondents said the percentage of females in their offices was less than 30 percent. Just three percent of respondents said that females made up greater than 50 percent of their offices.
One male respondent noted, “The issue is not as significant up to the journeyman level, but the higher up you go the more noticeable it becomes. [In senior positions] women have more opportunities due to a ratio of fewer women than men, but only to a point.”
Over the past several years the defense industry made headlines for its high percentage of female executives. In 2014 Rep. Kay Granger wrote a Time Magazine Op-Ed highlighting how women make up half of the leadership positions within the largest defense firms, and just four percent of Fortune 500 CEO positions.
Women have risen to the C-Suite, but breaking into middle-management may be the toughest battle.
“Well-qualified female employees are not receiving the opportunity for career growth,” said one female respondent. “It’s all about who you know and what male affiliation males have. The good old boy system runs deep, and intimidation toward women is running wild.”
Despite actual and perceived bias, women are fairly optimistic about their chances – 42 percent of respondents (both male and female) said men and women have the same career opportunities. Perhaps shockingly, 31 percent of women said they have MORE career opportunities than men; 28 percent said men have more opportunities for career advancement than women.
Why the disparity? Women clearly believe discrimination is an issue, but when asked point blank, 30 percent feel they have adequate, and in fact more opportunities than men, and 40 percent believe they have the same opportunities.
Women may be acknowledging that to some degree they have ‘opted-out’ of the boys’ club – beneath bias and perception of bias, survey respondents said a lack of interested candidates was the next biggest hurdle keeping women out of defense and government careers.
A Minority Voice
ClearanceJobs recently had the opportunity to chat with Ellen McCarthy, Director of Plans and Programs at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. She started her career as an analyst and has spent the past two decades working in a variety of intelligence positions, including serving as President of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance. When it comes to bias, she doesn’t see deliberate discrimination on the part of men. But she does acknowledge an environment where women feel marginalized.
“I don’t think it’s intentional,” said McCarthy. “But I do think, even to this day, especially in the field we work in – intelligence, defense, national security, that side of the house – I think we all have to admit that there are times when we don’t feel like we’re heard. And I think we need to learn what it takes to be heard.”
Making Strides
The defense industry has strong reason to keep women in the ranks, and to attract female candidates when possible. While recruiters always look for the most qualified applicant, it’s important to remove any barriers that may be keeping women from pursuing defense industry and government positions. When it comes to offering the best benefits for women, the responses may surprise you. Rather than maternity leave and on-site childcare, women listed gender neutral benefits including telework, increased training, and mentorship opportunities as ‘very important.’
In a survey where women and men were largely in agreement, there was one area where they were in double-digit disagreement. When it comes to whether or not the government is taking adequate steps to recruit women, 68 percent of men said they already take adequate steps, while just 47 of women did. Forty-one percent of women said the government and defense industry need to do more.
To break the boy’s club stereotype, mentoring may be key. Perhaps surprisingly several female survey respondents said it wasn’t just men discriminating in the workplace, but often higher-level females who make it difficult for other women to move up the ranks. Women also feel like they have fewer peers, and less resources to go to for mentorship or feedback.
Tips for female-friendly hiring:
The odds are against you – when it comes to finding women in the defense industry, there are often fewer applicants – particularly for STEM positions. So how do you encourage more women to apply to your open positions?
1. Leverage female-friendly organizations. Women in Defense and D.C. Web Women are great places to start. Finding the perfect candidate can be like finding a needle in a haystack. Refine that process by building a pipeline of great female candidates.
2. Keep the ones you have. Retention is one of the biggest issues with hiring women, and a problem recruiters can’t solve on their own. Work with your human resources department to establish mentorship and training programs geared specifically to women. When you hire a great female candidate, make sure they get plugged into these opportunities. Great female candidates may be hard to find, but they’ll be impossible to keep if your company doesn’t have programs in place to recognize and reward their performance.
3. Re-evaluate your job descriptions. It has been said that when reading a job description, men will apply to a position if they meet just a few of the qualifications. Women must meet all of them before they apply. Recruiters often cite unqualified applicants as a pet peeve, but look honestly at your previous hires and how you’re pre-screening candidates. If you’re setting the bar so high only a male will apply, you’re weeding out qualified female applicants.
4. Beware discriminatory questioning. Women frequently complain of being asked whether or not they have kids during a job interview. While it may seem like friendly curiosity, it is seen as discrimination by both mothers who already struggle to get their foot in the door after maternity leave or a break in service to care for their children, and by the Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Programs.