Climbing Trees Consulting

The ultimate goal of Climbing Trees is to see women progress to leadership positions in manufacturing & STEM organizations. But in order for this to happen, we have to get young girls interested in STEM!

There are some main reasons why currently they’re not:

🌿Stereotypes - Most people associate boys with being better at STEM subjects than girls, but that’s actually not true. When parents & teachers tell girls and boys that they are equally capable at math, their scores are essentially equal (AAUW). But when girls aren’t encouraged, they do score lower.

🌿Confidence - We’ve talked before about how women don’t apply for jobs they’re not 100% qualified for - and this same idea translates to girls choosing their majors. They aren’t confident they’ll succeed in STEM, so they choose majors they are confident about.

🌿Support - Interest in STEM diminishes once girls reach high school, even though it’s about equal to boys through middle school. This is due to socialization, but also a lack of STEM programs past middle school that encourage girls to participate.

🌿Lack of Role Models - If a girl is already questioning her readiness for a STEM major, then realizes that an overwhelming majority of the faculty is male, she is more likely to choose something else where she’s more represented. This reality signals to girls that STEM professionals aren’t female.

What can we do about it?

✨FIRST & FOREMOST - TELL GIRLS THAT THEY ARE CAPABLE!! This has an enormous impact on a girl being able to overcome stereotypes and to build confidence that they can succeed in STEM. This is the answer to #1 & #2.

✨As for #3 & #4, programs like have STEM programs for HS girls & (Auburn University) exist to support/retain girls in engineering. When your girls are looking at colleges, research programs like this & also the demographics of faculty in certain majors.

❗️If you ever plan on having a baby/didn’t know this info the first time around: Listen up❗️

We may not be as far along in maternal protections as some countries, but there are four major acts that you are legally entitled to as a mom who works outside the home & when you’re growing that little hunnie!

1️⃣ The Pregnancy Discrimination Act - simply put, employers can’t treat a pregnant worker differently than a non-pregnant one by discriminating against them, firing them, or compelling them to take medical leave. If you are able to do your job, then you have a right to DO IT!
2️⃣ FMLA - Provides *job-protected* (unpaid😒) leave for prenatal care (like dr’s appointments!) and typically about 12 weeks of birth and bonding time once the baby is born (again, unpaid🖕). This also extends to adoptions & foster care! *Your company may have policies through short/long term disability insurance that allow you to take more time, usually at a percentage of your full pay. - TALK TO YOUR HR ABOUT THIS!!! KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!*
3️⃣ Pregnant Workers Fairness Act ✨NEW✨- Just went into effect in June, and requires companies to provide “reasonable accommodations” to a pregnant worker’s job based on limitations that exist because of the pregnancy, birth, or related medical conditions. *for example - my employer allowed me to start working from home at 36 weeks pregnant bc of the extreme working conditions!*
4️⃣ Nursing Mothers Act (PUMP Act) 🍼- This requires employers to provide nursing workers a private place to pump (bathrooms don’t count!🚽) and adequate time to express milk when they need to, for a year after the child’s birth.

PLEASE make sure you save this information or send it to a pregnant/nursing friend! This information is your RIGHT and it kills me to think that there are moms being discriminated against because they don’t have this knowledge. 🤰🤍