Breaking Away from the Glass Ceiling

Broken glass is sharp, dangerous, and messy. And nearly impossible to clean up without leaving even the tiniest shard behind.

Five distinguished faculty members at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering discussed what it’s like to be a woman breaking through barriers in a male-dominated space at the “Shattering the Glass Ceiling for Women in Engineering” panel.

Engineering is a male-dominated field - in and outside of the classroom. According to statistics gathered by Katrina Knight, moderator and Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering, while the amount of female engineers in the academic tenure is increasing at the Swanson School, there is still a significant amount of gender disparity and inequality that needs to be addressed.

“You don’t know how rough the road is for someone else,” Knight said. “Hearing experiences different from your own helps create empathy and understanding towards something you didn’t know about or previously understand. Exposure is so important.”

Solidarity in the Face of Discrimination

Through their own personal experiences, the panelists found that gender discrimination in these male-dominated spaces will continue unless examples are set to curve the behavior. The most important thing women can do is stick together and raise each other up.

“Don’t worry about looking bossy,” said Anne Robertson, Distinguished Service Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. “There are always ways to support each other and there will always be situations where you have to stand up for one another. You just have to be ready for them.”

When women stand up for each other in the workplace, it helps expose everyone to what gender-based discriminations look like and how to stand against them in the future, she explained. 

“When I was in school on a design team, I was the only female with three other guys, and one guy blatantly looked at me and said, ‘Oh, you’re going to be our secretary,’” explained Mary Besterfield-Sacre, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Nickolas A. DeCecco Professor of Industrial Engineering. “The other guys railed against him. I had known them because we worked together and were in the same classes, and here comes someone trying to put me down and I didn’t even have to do anything. Sometimes you’ll have allies sitting there and you won’t even know it.”

Time for a New Metaphor

The glass ceiling is the unofficial barrier that curbs professional advancement for women from reaching higher positions in the workplace.

The panelists agreed that it’s time to find a new metaphor to describe how women break through barriers in male-dominated fields. The glass ceiling has outdated and negative connotations that sometimes lead to imposter syndrome or self-perception issues.

“The idea of ‘breaking the glass ceiling’ makes people believe there’s one act that will suddenly change everything,” said Melissa Bilec, Co-Director of the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation and William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “In reality, there are so many steps a woman needs to take throughout her career in order to thrive. It’s thinking every hour of every day about the best ways to progress and work collaboratively with everyone.”

Having a strong support system is key. The panelists found that creating a strong network of mentorship early in their careers was vital in learning how to overcome obstacles they had never faced before.

“Mentorship is everything,” said Ipsita Banerjee, Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. “Having a strong network is so important. Just by reaching out to my mentors and talking about the problems I’m facing has really benefited me. They helped me understand what I can and cannot control. You can’t dwell on things you can’t control or people who try to block you. All you can do is adapt.”

As women progress through their careers, the concept of the glass ceiling will change based on a woman’s personal and professional goals. For women that are mothers, learning how to manage their personal lives and careers is a critical component in remaining present and efficient.

Lisa Maillart, Professor and Interim Department Chair of Industrial Engineering, talked about learning how to juggle work and home lives as time passes. 

“You always see the scale where two things balance one another out,” she said. “In my life, I need to juggle aspects of my personal life and work life at the same time instead of finding time to balance them out. My son might be down the hall getting ready to go to bed for the night and as he does I might be working on emails. It’s about learning how to go through different waves of juggling as your family grows and adapting to be present at home and at work.”

Maillart agreed that academia has allowed her to broaden her horizons.

“As engineers in academia, we are free to think about a wide variety of research questions,” said Maillart. “This includes questions that are traditional to our disciplines as well as those in emerging areas that we might not typically think would benefit from engineering models.” 

Robertson added that academia affords more freedom toward the goals and projects women want to pursue with their research teams.

“Can I accomplish what I want to get done? Have I had an impact? Then yes, I’ve broken the glass ceiling,” said Robertson. “I need to be able to work with different people and have them embrace my vision, but I don’t need a seat at the proverbial table - at least not for very long. I’ve been fortunate to be engaged and supported by many different people to help me get things done, and that’s important.”

The panel was presented by the Swanson School’s Office of Diversity as a part of Women’s History Month. Panelists were chosen based on their academic and research accomplishments as well as the leadership positions they hold in the Swanson School. More than 70 people attended in-person and online.

Speakers:

• Dr. Mary Besterfield-Sacre, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Nickolas A. DeCecco Professor of Industrial Engineering, and Director of the Engineering Education Research Center
• Dr. Melissa Bilec, Co-Director of the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation and William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Dr. Lisa Maillart, Professor and Interim Department Chair of Industrial Engineering
• Dr. Anne Robertson, Distinguished Service Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
• Dr. Ipsita Banerjee, Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering