Dr. Liesl Folks, former Provost at the University of Arizona, Discusses the Importance of Safety from Harassment on Campus
LAKE HAVASU CITY, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / July 9, 2024 / Safety from harassment is an imperative issue that impacts the academic and personal lives of students and staff alike. Dr. Liesl Folks, former provost at the University of Arizona, brings invaluable insights into the multifaceted aspects of campus environments, especially for women and minorities in STEM fields. Her vast experience in academia and industry underscores the need for effective strategies to create safer educational environments.
In her compelling narrative, Dr. Folks highlights the pervasive and well-researched problem of gender bias and harassment in educational and professional settings. She underscores that girls and women are routinely educated on how to keep themselves "safe" from harassment and assault, and how to report it if it happens, yet they are seldom taught how to protect their career paths and leadership aspirations from the detrimental effects of such experiences.
"Women are not usually schooled in how to keep their career paths and leadership aspirations intact while also keeping themselves 'safe' from sexual harassment in the workplace," Dr. Folks notes.
The impact is profound and often results in women taking non-linear, circuitous routes toward their career goals-essentially climbing fire escapes while their male counterparts ride the elevators of success smoothly to the top.
The Cost of Safety
Dr. Folks raises an important question about the broader societal and economic costs of the myriad decisions women make to stay safe from sexual harassment. These decisions often involve avoiding or leaving workplaces, roles, or career paths that they see could expose them to workplace harassment. Women who actually experience sexual harassment in the workplace can suffer real harm to their career paths. Institutions, academic and industrial, are frequently ill-equipped to deal with the harassment in ways that preserve the woman's career trajectory. But added to these costs are those arising from the decisions women make to avoid known harassers, which also may cost them academic progress or career advancement.
These decisions, made by individuals to keep themselves physically safe from harassment, too often result in lost opportunities for career advancement and financial gains.
"What is the additional cost to individuals and to society of the myriad decisions that women must make to simply keep 'safe' while also making their way in the working world?" she asks.
Research indicates that women in STEM earn about 74% of what men earn, and they are less likely to achieve leadership roles. This gap is not solely due to caregiving responsibilities or overt gender bias, but also because of the subtle, yet constant, need for women to avoid unsafe environments.
Dr. Folks shares her personal experiences and the stories of many others to illustrate the real-world impact of these issues. For instance, during her time as a first-year university student, she had to avoid a "handsy" lab instructor, which led her to forgo an entire field of study. Similarly, discussions with women undergraduate engineering students revealed that all had experienced some form of bias, discrimination, or harassment, adversely affecting their career paths by age 22.
"Every single woman I spoke with could recount a time when they had made an academic or career decision to keep themselves safe from a physical threat from a male colleague or more powerful figure, rather than because it was the optimal career choice," Dr. Folks recounts.
Structural Change and Training Programs
To help address these systemic issues, Dr. Folks and her colleagues have developed training programs for women in STEM. These programs aim to equip them with strategies to navigate past career barriers created by gender bias, discrimination, and harassment.
"Informed of these experiences, my colleagues and I have developed a training program for women STEM graduate students to provide them with strategies for navigating past career barriers created by gender bias, discrimination and harassment." The goal is to enable women to protect both their physical safety and their career trajectories.
The presence of even a few predators in the workplace can have a significant impact on many women's careers. Dr. Folks proposes assessing the lost value to society resulting from women avoiding career paths due to harassment. This includes not only lost earnings but also the untapped potential and innovation that these women could have brought to their fields.
"It's time to ask - could we assess the lost value to society of the myriad career paths not taken, and the lost earnings, that have resulted from women avoiding sexual harassment in the workplace?"
About Dr. Liesl Folks
Dr. Liesl Folks is a high-profile leader in both academia and industry. At the University of Arizona, she has served as the Vice President for Semiconductor Strategy and as provost, and is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Her career has spanned roles in major companies like IBM and Western Digital, and she holds numerous patents and peer-reviewed publications. She is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. A committed advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Dr. Folks has significantly contributed to fostering these values in educational institutions and professional settings.
Campus safety is not just about preventing physical harm; it's also about creating an environment where everyone can pursue their educational and career goals without the fear of harassment or discrimination. Dr. Liesl Folks' insights highlight the need for structural changes to ensure that all students and professionals can thrive. By addressing these issues, we can unlock the full potential of every individual and, in turn, benefit society as a whole.
Contact:
Dr. Liesl Folks
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SOURCE: Liesl Folks