'Women in science and technology affected by 1970's time warp'
12/05/2008(17:03)
Key sectors of the economy are being undermined by the prevalence of a "time warp" of 1970s sexist attitudes which is causing women in their late thirties to leave their careers in science and technology, new research claims.
Researchers at the Center for Work-Life Policy in New York, have identified a "hidden brain drain" as women facing a male-dominated "lab coat culture", the risk of sexual harassment and "old boys' networks" choose family life and alternative careers, the Sunday Times reports.
"It has been a bit like a time warp. This predatory or condescending culture [towards women] was more common across the workplace 20 to 30 years ago but has somehow survived in an engineering, science and technology context," Sylivia Ann Hewlett, lead author of the study, told the publication.
"We have this amazing, talented pool of women who have left the industry. It is highly destructive to our society and economy," she added.
According to the study, while 41 per cent of newly qualified technical staff are female, more than half of these women had left their jobs by their late thirties.
The research, which surveyed 3,000 staff employed by three multinational companies, also found that nearly two-thirds of people questioned had been victims of sexual harassment in the workplace.
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