And it's the things we don't know that are really scary. My biggest fear is that I'll unwittingly offend someone and she won't call me on it. Maybe she won't speak up because she figures that she can't change the ways things are, or she won't feel comfortable bringing it up, or she won't even know why a particular comment made her uncomfortable in the first place. Allison is really good at telling me what's what. There's been huge progress in workplace communication between men and women since I started in this field, but we still have a long way to go.
Many women are just scared to enter the field.
They think that they can't hack it. We're sending more female employees on recruiting events, and we're improving our female mentoring programs. I'm fortunate that I've had such a strong mentoring network. First, my father has been a big supporter. I don't know if I would have pursued the same career if it weren't for him.