Stage
University
Key Obstacle
Social exclusion in professional networks
Goals
Integrate men and women to collaborate effectively and promote each other
ProjectSINC
Shaping inclusive network cultures
How can we ensure that young women have the mentoring support and inclusive networks they need to launch their careers successfully? Project SINC aims to increase integration of women in social networks as they transition from university to the workplace.
The Problem
Promotion and retention at work is tied to an employee’s integration in social networks and interactions with colleagues, but women in STEM often report subtle signs of exclusion in their interactions with others in male dominated fields. These experiences of exclusion make women especially aware of their gender and contribute to workplace burnout. Women’s exclusion from professional networks means that they often miss out on key opportunities to advance their careers.
Our Approach / Goals
SINC uses advanced methods to examine daily experiences and test interventions. One intervention is designed to increase belonging and reduce stress among identity-threatened students. A second intervention will use more equitable role assignments to increase positive interactions between men and women in the workplace. In partnership with the undergraduate engineering programs at the Universities of Toronto, McMaster, Waterloo, and British Columbia, social inclusion interventions will be implemented among engineering students while they go on summer internships and “co-op” placements in order to measure the efficacy of these programs for creating a sense of social support and mutual respect between students as they make the transition from university to the workplace.
Photo Credit: Engineering Science Quest
Key Leaders
Elizabeth Page-Gould PhD
Canada Research Chair in Social Psychophysiology, University of TorontoRead Bio
Sonia Kang PhD
Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Identity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Department of Management, University of Toronto Mississauga, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto Read Bio
The Team
The Project SINC team combines expertise in the science of implicit gender bias, bias reduction, intergroup contact, diversity, and STEM outreach.
Sonia Kang PhD
Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Identity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Department of Management, University of Toronto Mississauga, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto Read Bio
Steve Spencer PhD
Professor of Psychology, University of Waterloo; Robert K. and Dale J. Weary Chair in Social Psychology, Ohio State UniversityRead Bio
Lesley Shannon PhD
NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (BC/Yukon); Professor, School of Engineering Sciences, Simon Fraser UniversityRead Bio
Sheryl Staub-French PhD
Goldcorp Professor for Women in Engineering; Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, and Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, University of British ColumbiaRead Bio
Joyce He BA
Graduate Student, University of Toronto, Rotman School of Managementjoyce.he@mail.utoronto.ca
Project Partners
Project SINC proudly partners with University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, University of Waterloo, Simon Fraser University, Engineers Canada, the Engineering Change Lab, the Ontario Network for Women in Engineering (ONWiE), the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST), and the Network of NSERC Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering.
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