How women can be successful in STEM is discussed in this post and associated podcast episode. Thanks to Fearless Female host and Moxxi Coffee Company owner Leslie Swedish for the interview which is now on YouTube!

The truth about how women can be successful in STEM is that women already have everything it takes to be very successful, that is, more than average-level successful in STEM.

What we discuss in the podcast episode and YouTube video are:

• STEM opportunities that women might feel are not for them like roles in defense, physics, engineering, etc. pay extremely well so even though women would be fewer in numbers in these types of roles, they would be paid well, become independent professionals, and thrive in spite of existing challenges (more on that below). Making good money is the first step to having independence and doing well in your life regardless of personal challenges. I have lots of content on how to negotiate salary, job search, etc.
• Govt. salaries are public and modern policies make it so that it is considerably harder (officially) to discriminate against women, so if discrimination or harassment happens, women can address these issues now instead of living with them. This does not mean that things are perfect, the point is that policy and rules are supposed to help women get paid with equality and to address issues, so know your rights.
• Microaggressions against women and boys’ clubs in the workplace still exist and can make it a hostile/unwelcoming environment for women. If this happens, and in spite of this, women can still thrive (not just survive) by typically being more focused than the boys-club-men, and by having a small network of high-achieving women to help them keep on track and help to pursue opportunities.
• It is extremely important to discuss day-to-day problems and pursue opportunities with the help of other women in your network, for example, a successful woman in your network knows about an opportunity that would be great for you, and then recommends you. This is how you can grow quickly rather than stay stuck where you are and also where you have problems (where you will go, you will have problems too, but at least, you would have progressed your career).
• Prioritize self-care and hire help. Traditionally, men have been able to be super successful with the help of their wives who took care of their lives, family obligations, etc. If you are to be successful, you need to realize that you can’t do everything and it is highly encouraged to hire help like a housekeeper, nanny, lawncare – whatever you can afford. In high-paying jobs, chances are you can afford these and it is on you to pay for this help and help yourself get the rest you need and to practice self-care like taking a bath, getting a massage, eating, and sleeping well. If you don’t do these, you will burn out and be less good at your job anyway, so these are not an option, these are essential.

Listen to the podcast episode and let us know what you think in the comments!