Women

We are here to ensure that female students engage in career development that leads to successful careers. We are also aware that students may have concerns and questions about navigating workplace rules and identifying organizations that are diverse and inclusive.

The workforce has seen a tremendous expansion of women in the workplace, yet disparities in pay and promotions exist. We are committed to helping female students explore their career interests, build their networks, increase their social capital, and negotiate competitive salaries and pursue promotions that are deserving of their work.

Get Connected

As you build your career competencies for the workforce, we encourage you to get connected in the following ways:

• Engage in experiential learning by building relationships with our Career Communities
• Build your network through the job shadowing program and connect with alumni from multiple communities
• Connect with a mentor through the RAMP program
• Learn about internship opportunities and job openings via Handshake
• Learn about fellowships on campus
• Build your resume by highlighting the projects you complete through your coursework, student clubs, and community programs
• Apply for on-campus work-study and non–work study jobs (tutor, resident assistant, orientation leader, career ambassador, etc.)

Campus Resource

Women in Leadership Network-The Suffolk Women in Leadership (WIL) Alumnae Network advocates for the professional and personal development of Suffolk women. WIL provides resources and programming for both alumnae and current students, linking them to each other and to the larger Suffolk community.

Advocacy & Education

American Association of University Women (AAUW) – This organization fights to remove the barriers and biases that stand in the way of gender equity.

Business and Professional Women’s Foundation (BPW) – This foundation transforms workplaces by strengthening the capacity of organizations and businesses to create work environments that are inclusive and value the skills and contributions of working women.

Boston Women’s Workforce Council – The council’s mission is to close gender pay gaps by working with the business community to remove visible and invisible barriers for working women.

Federally Employed Women (FEW) – FEW is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization representing over one million women employed by the federal government throughout the world.

Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women - The MCSW is a state-established body charged with reviewing the status of women in Massachusetts and offering recommendations regarding policy that would improve access to opportunities and equality.

MomsRising – This group takes on the most critical issues facing women, mothers, and families by educating the public and mobilizing massive grassroots actions. 

National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. – This organization advocates on behalf of Black women and girls to achieve their full potential.

National Women’s Law Center - NWLC passionately champions policies and laws that help women and girls achieve their potential throughout their lives—at school, at work, at home, and in their communities.

Office of Women’s Advancement – City of Boston – Th is office’s mission is to promote gender equity by empowering women and removing systemic barriers to their advancement.

PINK Magazine represents a badge of honor celebrating a global mission of equity and opportunity—a movement acknowledging all that women are today and will be tomorrow.

The National Council of Negro Women, Inc. - The National Council of Negro Women’s mission is to lead, empower, and advocate for women of African descent, and their families and communities.

This article from Forbes outlines ways to increase female representation in STEM by recognizing bias, promoting representation, and fostering mentorship.

Evaluating Your Workplace

There are different strategies in place for you to evaluate the organization you choose as your workplace. The strategies below should serve as a guide. If you have concerns or further questions, please reach out to a career advisor. To find out if an employer has created an inclusive work environment, consider some of these questions:

• Do their values and mission align with yours?
• Do they have representative leadership that is meaningful to you?
• Is the organization on Diversity Inc.’s Top 50 or other national lists for their diversity policies and programs? What are the criteria for making the list?
• Can you find a diversity and inclusion philosophy, mission, or policy on their website?
• Are there any programs or resources for employees focused on issues of concern or for specific groups? (For example, Marriott’s Diversity and Inclusion Councils)
• What do others (e.g. peers, alumni, current employees) say about the organizational culture? (Keep in mind that every opinion, good or bad, may come with some amount of bias. See below for resources to help you find and connect with people at organizations you’re interested in.)
• Do the organization’s job postings contain language that reflects diversity and inclusivity?

While we encourage you to use these tips to evaluate a company, we also acknowledge that some small organizations may not have the resources that large organizations highlighted in the tips mentioned above. In addition, some organizations are in the early stages of building a diverse workforce; this is a great time to build connections with employees, and ask questions during the interview to learn if the company is serious about diversity, equity, and inclusion before you decide to join it.

Best Companies lists - Complied by Seramount, these lists include best companies for working mothers overall, best women-owned companies, and best companies for multicultural women.

InHerSight  rates employers on how supportive they are of the women who work there. This can be another useful data point to help you decide whether a company might be a good fit for you.

Ways To Handle Discrimination In The Workplace

Federal law prohibits discrimination against individuals on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, disability, pregnancy, and age. Employers are responsible for complying with the law, but you are responsible for making sure you know and protect your rights.

Illegal Interview Questions
Did you know that it is against the law for employers to ask you certain questions in a job interview? To learn more about what topics are off-limits and what to do if you are asked about them, see the guide by Imdiversity.com-illegal-job-interview-questions-and-how-to-respond-to-them/ and Thebalancecareers.com/how-to-answer-inappropriate-interview-questions.

Discrimination in the workplace
If you experience discrimination once you have started a job, here are some tips and information about dealing with employment discrimination. You are also welcome to reach out to the director of career equity and access for support and inquiries.

Suffolk University-Policy and Grievance Procedures

Negotiation And Women

According to the American Association of University Women (AAUW) women who work full-time take home about 82 cents less for every dollar a full-time male worker is paid and only 53% of women are confident in negotiating salary, compared to 61% of men.

Job Search And Networking Tools

The Massachusetts Conference for Women – This provides one full day of connection, motivation, networking, inspiration, and skill building for thousands of women each year.

Ellevate - Ellevate Network is the community for women who know there is strength in numbers.

Advancing Women – This group focuses on jobs in the education, engineering and manufacturing, technology, biotech, medical, financial, government, and defense/security industries.

Boston Women’s Workforce Council - In partnership with the mayor, the BWWC implements the 100% Talent Compact, a first-in-the-nation approach to reaching pay equity for working women.

Computer Science for Women -This site aims to help spark interest in computer science in young girls and to help women pursue an education and career in this dynamic field.

Diversity Job-Seeker Career and Job Resources This site provides many links for women and minorities.

Women’s Job List - Women's Job List was created to give employers a tool to promote diversity and inclusion within their workplaces, and to provide job seekers with easy access to those companies.

Women for Hire - Since our inception, this group has been recognized as groundbreakers in connecting employers with the brightest group of diverse career women, as well as providing those women with exceptional advice on advancement.

Women Who Code – This resource is committed to inspiring women to excel in technology careers.

Starting A Business

Center for Women & Enterprise - nationally known nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people start and grow their businesses.

Women Entrepreneurs Boston (WE BOS) – provides the skill-building opportunities, technical help, and networks to help women entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses.

Professional Associations

American Association of University Women - AAUW contributes to a more promising future and provides a powerful voice for women and girls.

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants - (AICPA) provides a supportive environment and valuable resources for members to achieve their personal and professional goals through leadership, networking and education.

Center for Women in Government and Civil Society offers many opportunities, such as fellowships and education initiatives, for women interested in government. 

Society of Women Engineers - SWE is all about helping you advance, with a Career Center that features a resume database, job bank exclusively for SWE members, and more.

Equality In The Workplace

Know your rights. It is against the law for employers to discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, disability, pregnancy, and age.

The US Department of Labor Women’s Bureau: Resources related to legal rights, including fair compensation, safeguarding the interests of working women, and advocating for quality work environments for women across industries and professions

Human Rights Campaign: Outlines potential risks/benefits for women who are transgender coming out in the workplace; offers insights on disclosing identity before, during, or after a job interview; connects to a number of employer workplace discrimination policies; and includes the State Equality Index, which provides a review of statewide laws and policies that affect LGBTQ people