1. The myth that girls are not as adept as boys at math and science needs to be wiped out in the minds of teachers, guidance counselors and parents.
"My wish is that people would truly believe in the fact that women are just as capable," says Nahid Khazenie, a program manager at NASA. "They may say that we are, but deep down in some of their hearts, they don't think we are as capable when it comes to math and science. . . . Girls need to know that's not true."
2.Girls need to be steered toward math and science classes, not away from them, in the critical early-teen years.
Kitty Didion, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Association for Women in Science, says, "You can elect not to take algebra and your guidance counselor can say, 'Don't worry your pretty head about it.' We need people to say that statistically it's shown that the more math you take the higher your salary is. People need to tell them that these decisions affect their whole future."
3. The high-tech industry will have to rethink what has become standard: the 12- to 16-hour workday.
Critics say that the promise of late nights and lots of travel make any hope of work/family balance a nightmare. "Realistically, 80-hour work weeks are standard," says Santiago Rodriguez, director of diversity at Microsoft Corp. "It makes it more difficult for anyone, but especially for women. Even in the most liberal families, the greatest weight of child rearing falls more on the woman than on the man."
4. There need to be training programs for women who are re-entering the work force after leaving to run their own businesses or raise their children.
"We have talented, experienced women out there who are looking to come back into the work force or are looking to change careers," says Scherr. With a little training, they're in there.
5. Companies need to make mentors available to women in the workplace.
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