Many women in SET want to leave their jobs

A new survey of professional women mainly based in the East of England found that women in science, engineering and technology (SET) are less satisfied with their jobs and are more likely to want to leave than women in other industries.

62% of women in SET surveyed were looking to leave their jobs, compared to 50% of women in other sectors.

Many women in SET are disillusioned with their industry, not just their employer.

Nearly a quarter (24%) of the women in SET surveyed planned to leave the industry in the next three years, according to Dr Suzanne Doyle Morris, whose company conducted the survey.

"We were very surprised at the results we got from respondents working in SET as they are far more likely to leave their employer than their non-SET counterparts," Dr Doyle Morris said.

"When we asked what would make them stay with their current employers longer, salary was highest on the list. However leadership development and executive coaching were close behind –- outranking child care and flexible hours as things that women value from an employer," she said.

Dr. Jenny Brookman, from the Cambridge Association for Women in Science and Engineering said the survey results are worrying.

"SET is a rapidly growing sector which needs to maintain its well-trained employees. As an industry it looks as though we should do more for our female staff to stop this leaky pipeline," she said.