Advocates for increased gender balance within our fields
We are proud sponsors of Women Geoscientists in Canada; an online community that is dedicated to elevate, promote, and encourage female geoscientists to continue careers in geology, geophysics, and geochemistry.
Women geoscientists pursue professional opportunities, but their status in the workforce is typically far below parity. The number of women working in the geosciences, 5-10 years post-baccalaureate degree, seldom attain ratios greater than 1/3 despite very balanced numbers in undergraduate geoscience programs. In addition, with increasing levels of experience, it is expected that responsibilities and influence within the workspace increase; however, the percentage of women in the workforce decreases with time, resulting in an overall power structure that is predominantly male.
“The “leaky pipeline” is one of the main concerns we have about women in the industry. Why do they leave? And how can we retain them? It’s not just a gender diversity issue but also ensuring the industry has a thriving workforce as the older generations retire.” – Sarah Devriese, PhD, WGC director.
Women Geoscientists in Canada (WGC) is working to affect fundamental changes by developing programs that support early career women geoscientists through skills training and mentoring. WGC is eager to engage with employers to identify both implicit and explicit barriers in achieving gender parity, and work toward solutions to minimize and eradicate barriers, to the benefit of the employer. WGC works within the geoscience community to develop a vision that recognizes the longevity of the profession is conditional on being able to transform geoscience into a vocation that reflects the overall society that it serves.
Find out more and join WGC’s online community https://www.wgcanada.org/join-us.
Sarah Devriese, PhD
Sarah Devriese holds a PhD in geophysics from the University of British Columbia and a BSc in geophysical engineering the Colorado School of Mines. For much of the past decade, Sarah has been delving into the depths of geophysical inversion for mineral exploration problems. She is currently satisfying her curiosity for geoscience at Condor North Consulting by processing, inverting, and interpreting geophysical data. Outside of work, Sarah volunteers with the Women Geoscientists in Canada to continue the conversation about workplace diversity and equality. She is also involved with the Society of Exploration Geophysicists Mining Committee, a national dog rescue, and a local mountain bike trail organization.
Latest news
Using predictive modelling in mineral exploration
GEOH5: A Framework for Geoscience Data and Model Portability
New release – GOCAD® Mining Suite V14.5
Taskbar icons
New Visual Parameter – Contours
New clustering application in geoapps
Data set summaries
Rapid and accurate mapping
What’s new in Geoscience ANALYST version 4.0 – Virtual Lecture
Revolutionizing Subsurface Interpretation and 3D Visualization with Geoscience ANALYST Pro
