It’s an unfortunate truth that even as we enter 2020, there are still many industries with workforces predominantly made up of men. Examples include software (only 28% of jobs held by women), IT (25%), engineering (12.37%), agriculture (16%), and construction (30%). When you start delving deeper, you soon realise that the percentage of women in leadership roles within these industries dwindles even further. There is a lot being done to try and combat these issues, such as government and employer initiatives, but it’s clear that there is still a long way to go.

Although being the only woman on a team can come with lots of advantages (and there may even be the lucky few who rarely notice they’re the only woman in the room), it can develop a variety of anxieties or insecurities which can have a knock-on effect on your work, wellbeing, and even career progression.

So we did some digging to see what advice women working in these industries have to offer, which we’ve whittled down to these five tips, and we hope it’ll give you the help you needed to start each day with that #thisgirlcan attitude.

Women should be seen, and most importantly heard…

It might be that you end up working with a team of introverts, but chances are, you’ll be surrounded by a team of men who don’t mind vocalising what opportunities they want. Meanwhile, you may be sitting patiently waiting for opportunities to be offered to you.

Unfortunately, most managers are too busy to work out who best to allocate to which project and let’s face it, they’re not mind readers either.

So speak up and let them know if you’d like to be considered — they’ll respect you voicing your wants/desires and for volunteering to take on the task.

Similarly, if you’re sat in a meeting and you’re feeling too intimidated to speak up, or you’re second-guessing your idea, then remember…

As a woman in a male-dominated environment, chances are, you’ll have something to add to the discussion that they hadn’t even considered. So speak up, what’s the worst that can happen? And as a wise man (Confucius to be precise) once said;

“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.”

Hint: We host a number of workshops, courses and events throughout the academic year which can help boost your confidence.

Play to your strengths (yes, even the stereotypical ones)

Yes, there’s lot of men out there who have the emotional intelligence to know when something’s not quite right with one of their peers, but as a woman, you’ve got an advantage, so make sure you use it.

Whether it’s listening, empathy, socialising, or just being a bit of a mother hen — if you have these strengths, don’t try and bury them to fit in. These are the qualities of a great leader, particularly when you may be in a workplace where those qualities are in short supply.

Hint: Why not practice a psychometric test and find out what your strengths are, or book an appointment with a careers adviser for additional support.

Socialise!

Never underestimate the power of work socials — taking the time outside of the office to get to know your peers is a really great way to feel more at ease.

It may feel a little intimidating at first (especially if you’re going for ‘after work beers’ with a group of men), but this is where you can relax and get to know what your peer's interests are outside of work, and you never know, you may even have something in common! And if you’re not invited (it happens more often than not), then why not set up a social up event yourself and send around an office-wide invite.

Find a mentor

Finding someone in your organisation or within a similar role/industry can be hugely beneficial, especially working in a male-dominated industry. These are the people who will have been there, done that, got the t-shirt (in a good way).

Use them to bounce ideas off, ask advice, talk through a problem, and ask their opinions and/or advice if you’re dealing with a challenging situation. Where you can, try to approach senior leaders within your company who can be a really great advocate. If this is proving to be challenging, either reach out on LinkedIn or join a women’s network.

Hint: We offer a mentoring scheme for all Univeristy of Birmingham students and alumni, where you can get paired with a mentor working in the field you’re interested in.

Push your boundaries

If new opportunities come your way but you’re hesitant to take them on because you’re not sure you can do it, you don’t think you have the skills/experience, you think someone else would be better for the job or you’re just concerned it’ll be too hard. Stop. It’s only by stepping outside of your comfort zone that you’ll learn new skills — setting you up to take on the next challenge. Learn to be brave, you never know what opportunities it will open up for you, irrelevant of your gender.

Just remember though — don’t confuse this with being the ‘yes woman’. Male-dominated industries can often be high-pressured and it can be easy to fall into the trap of saying ‘yes’ to everything. Before you know it, you’ve become the office doormat and you’ve burnt yourself out. Only say yes if you have the time to do a task, and do it well. You’ll be surprised how many people will respect you for recognising where you need to say ‘no’.

If you’ve got some great tips/insight to share, please do add them in the comments! And don’t forget to check out our website for more hints, tips, and support.