Why women need mentorship in data fields

"I Almost Quit." Not because I wasn’t good enough. Not because I wasn’t ambitious. But because I felt alone. I looked around and saw no one like me. I second-guessed my ideas in meetings. I wondered if I even belonged in this space. And I’m not the only one. Women make up half the workforce but hold less than 30% of technical roles. And here’s the real problem: they’re leaving. 💡 Only 27.6% of the tech workforce is female 💡 Women with mentors are 77% more likely to stay 💡 Formal mentorship programs increase leadership diversity by 20% Here’s what those stats don’t show: 💡 The woman who almost quit because she felt invisible—until someone advocated for her. 💡 The junior engineer who hesitated to speak up in meetings—until a mentor gave her the confidence to own her voice. 💡 The aspiring leader didn’t see anyone who looked like her in the room—until someone pulled up a chair and made space. Mentorship isn’t just about guidance. It’s about belonging. The best mentors don’t just share knowledge—they see potential before it’s proven. They create opportunities, break down barriers, and challenge the biases that hold people back. Because sometimes, all it takes is one person who believes in you to change the trajectory of your career. PS - If you are in a leading position, make sure you make everyone feel seen.

Mentorship: Let’s talk about it. Whenever I’ve had the chance to connect with executive-level leaders, its common to to hear how impactful mentorship was to their career. But here’s the reality for women.... we are 24% less likely to receive career advice from senior leaders, and nearly half don’t have access to a mentor or sponsor at all. That’s not just a gap, that’s a major blocker to growth. So why is mentorship still so out of reach for many women? 🔹 Lack of representation - Fewer women in leadership = fewer potential mentors. 🔹 Unconscious bias - Mentorship often happens between people who look like each other. 🔹 Societal expectations - Cross-gender mentorship can come with unfair judgment. 🔹 Time constraints -Women are disproportionately managing both careers and caregiving, with little room left for mentorship. Ladies - If you’re looking for mentorship or a space to pay it forward, here are a couple of great organizations doing the work: ✨ Women in Logistics and Delivery Services (WILDS) ✨ ATA Women In Motion Be an advocate for yourself and if you need help or have questions, reach out! If you know of any other groups doing the work, tag them in the comments! #WomenInTrucking #Mentorship #WomenAdvocacy #Sales

Women in STEM jobs earn $15,000 less per year on average than their male counterparts. In my instances, I have been the “first” or the “only” woman (or woman of colour) in production floors, engineering teams, and leadership meetings. Here are some lesser-known stats about women's participation in the STEM workforce in the USA: ❌ 1 in 3 women in STEM consider leaving after becoming a mother due to workplace challenges. ❌ Women earn 53% of STEM-related college degrees but hold only 28% of STEM jobs in the workforce. ❌ 50% of women in STEM careers leave their jobs by mid-career due to toxic workplace culture, bias, and lack of opportunities. ❌ Women hold only 16.5% of engineering jobs and 26% of computing jobs. ❌ Female STEM entrepreneurs receive less than 3% of VC funding despite outperforming male-led startups in revenue generation per dollar invested. The only exception is that participation of women in STEM roles grew by 31% from 2011 to 2021, outpacing men, whose growth rate was 15%. But it is too small for growth. Spark Careers is committed to empowering women and minorities to advance in their careers. The talent pipeline is broken, and we have to fix it. Forget the glass ceiling; I think we need to focus on the cracked “glass foundation.” Here are the challenges: 👉 Leadership gaps: Executive roles remain overwhelmingly male-dominated. 👉 Visibility in research: In fields like orthopaedic science, 86% of first-author credits still go to men. 👉 Retention struggles: Women enter STEM but face systemic barriers that push them out. Unless we address gender bias, funding gaps, and workplace culture, we cannot bring millions of talented women back into STEM. Here's how this issue can be solved: ✅ Mentorship & sponsorship: Women need more than encouragement; they need exceptional mentors and sponsors who will support them all the way. ✅ Fair hiring & promotions: Getting women into STEM isn’t enough; we must create pathways for them to lead. ✅ Representation matters: Elevating female voices in research and leadership changes the game for future generations. Women in STEM aren’t only filling seats; they’re shaping the future. But real equity requires deliberate action. Who’s a woman in STEM who’s inspired you? Tag and celebrate them in the comments. P.S.- DM or email me at hello@sparkcareers.us now for any type of assistance. #Women #STEM #Leadership #Diversity #womenempowerment #USA