Throughout my career, I have considered myself a staunch advocate for women's rights and women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). I advocate for more women in STEM not just because I believe in the potential of the STEM and tech sectors to lift millions of women and their families around the world out of poverty and dependence, but also because I feel that diversity is fuel for our future. It’s an especially important topic today, given that women hold less than 25% of STEM jobs in the U.S. Without more women in STEM careers, we are missing out on untapped talent, differing points of view, and innovation that can make a real difference on both the culture and the bottom line, which is why I’m thrilled to be a part of Symantec’s latest partnership with Global Fund for Women.
We’re partnering with Global Fund for Women to launch a new global campaign and online multimedia project called IGNITE: Women Fueling Science and Technology. IGNITE will feature five “galleries” to give voice to first-hand stories from diverse corners of the workplace, helping bring gender equity to the STEM field. The newest gallery called “LEADERS” draws attention to women’s experiences in the workplace, focusing on leadership, mentoring, entrepreneurship, and investment in STEM and information and communications technology (ICT) fields. Through this campaign, Global Fund for Women hopes to highlight that, with equal access and control to shape technology and science, women and girls bring unique and in-demand needs, experiences and perspectives to this sector. I am honored to be featured in this project and share my personal story, which you can check out here: http://bit.ly/1ycSpR7.
Being able to demonstrate progress against the goal of inspiring more women to enter the STEM fields is personally important to me. Diversity is more than a numbers game – it involves more than recruiting more women, professionals of color, LGBT, disabled professionals and veterans to the company. The most effective teams bring together a diverse set of minds and then create a community that embraces and leverages these minds best. That kind of culture comes from recognition at the top – from leaders – that diversity is important, and through the creation of opportunities for all employees to thrive at all stages of their careers.
Symantec’s commitment to diversity is reflected both at the top and at a grassroots level – we are one of only a handful of Fortune 500 companies to have at least 30 percent of our Board comprised of women. We have also set a framework for gender equality by being a founding signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP), a partnership initiative of UN Women and the United Nations Global Compact. These principles provide us with a structure to ensure that Symantec remains a place where innovative ideas can flourish, and where both women and men can have productive and satisfying careers.
Successfully bringing diversity to technical and STEM fields requires a multi-dimensional approach and collaboration between educators, governments, corporations, nonprofits and grassroots community groups. Success, to me, is a world where women and men design, create, drive, and own equally. We have a long way to go, but I believe that the journey starts with inspiration, backed by the resources it needs to thrive.
I invite you to participate in IGNITE by sharing what sparked your interest in STEM, or use #MySparkStory. Stories are being curated by 10 international employees of Symantec, men and women in a variety of positions at the corporation who are passionate advocates for diversity in STEM.
Roxane Divol is Symantec's SVP and GM, Trust Services