Q & A with Shanthi Rajaram

Tremendous changes have occurred for women in the workforce since 1963. For instance, the women’s labor force participation has increased by a whopping 53% over the last 50 years! This surge can primarily be accredited to:

- Laws (like the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act) that are helping to promote equality for women

- More women attempting to tackle the conundrum of balancing their career and family life

- The increase of mothers joining the workforce (54.4% to 70.5%)

While these statistics and causes narrate a compelling story of female progression, these numbers also indicate certain aspects of the workforce that remain stagnant. The Census Bureau notes that there has not been any significant changes regarding the types of jobs women are obtaining. A Huffington Post artical says, “women continue to be overwhelmingly employed in certain occupations that have been traditionally oriented toward women.”

In the late 1900s, the most common occupations for employed women were nurses, secretaries, bookkeepers, and elementary school teachers. Amazingly today, in 2015, administrative assistants, school teachers, and registered nurses remain the top most common occupations held by women because 1) these positions hold characteristics that reinforce roles that are placed on women (i.e., being a nurturer, caretaker, cook and teacher) and 2) some women do not envision themselves in male-dominated industries. In my opinion, this illuminates issues relating to corporate segregation. Corporate or gender segregation is a phenomenon that physically, legally, culturally, and mentally separates people according to social constructions of gender. It affects the pay gap between men and women, women’s views on employment, and their initiative to seek “traditionally male-dominated” occupations. The impacts of this term can be clearly seen in professions relating to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) because these fields execute society’s perception on gender roles and emphasizes masculinity.

Even though corporate segregation exists, there are people working to decrease gender segregation in America. Recently I attended the Women in Technology Awards hosted by the Dallas Business Journal where several ambitious women in North Texas were celebrated for going after their dream career in a STEM profession while breaking down societal norms. My mom and I were in attendance to support our dear family friend and colleague, Shanthi Rajaram (President of Amazech Solutions), as she was presented with the Entrepreneur Award. I was fortunate to talk with her and capture some pictures. Please read the Q & A below to gain insight and inspiration from this phenomenal innovator!

 NOTE: list of sources at the bottom of the page