International Women’s Day at Aspect

Aspect celebrated International Women’s Day with a gathering and conversation sparked by a video produced by Lean In as part of their 50 Ways to Fight Bias program. The video defined the common biases women experience at work and beyond:

  • Performance (underestimating women’s experience and performance)

  • Attribution (women get less credit for success, more blame for failure)

  • Likability (been agreeable can be seen as less competent, while being assertive can make one less likeable)

  • Maternal (choosing to become a parent can be seen has having less commitment to career)

  • Affinity (people tend to gravitate towards people who are similar in appearance and background; when only white men hold positions of power, this has a negative effect on women and people of color)

  • Compounded discrimination + Intersectionality (the compounding affect of bias due to gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, and other attributes)

Thirty-three percent of Aspect’s staff of 107 are women, including 15 percent of Aspect’s technical/engineering staff, which is slightly higher than the statewide percentages for female engineers –11 percent in Oregon and 12 percent in Washington. In 2018, 21 percent of our technical hires were women.

The theme for International Women’s Day 2019 was Balance for Better, encouraging action towards creating a more gender-balanced world. Some of our staff modeled the “Balance for Better” pose to show our commitment to finding that balance.

Breeyn Greer, EIT, Staff Environmental Engineer (left) and Amelia Oates, GIT – Staff Geologist (right) at Aspect’s Field Annex in Seattle

Amy Tice, LG, Project Geologist, and family

Carla Brock, LHG, Associate Geologist

“Balancing bike racing with my career is always a challenge, and requires that I am super organized and efficient with my time, but somehow I figure out how to make it work.” – Delia Massey, EIT, Project Engineer

Jennifer Koogler, Technical Editor

“Being the only woman in the Portland office—and in all of Aspect’s Oregon offices—doesn’t hinder my ability to stay focused and produce quality work. The attitude Aspect has towards women in the workplace is really motivating and makes me proud to be a part of the company. We have incredibly intelligent and strong women who shine brightly here, and as a young staff person, I am thankful to have them as my mentors.” –Jasmin Jamal, EIT, Staff Engineer, and Cooper on Mt. Tabor

Jessica Smith, LG, Associate Geologist

Meghan O’Brien, CWRE, Project Scientist

(Left to right) David Unruh (Staff Scientist); Chip Barnett, LEG (Senior Engineering Geologist); Isabellah von Trapp (Staff Scientist); Meilani Lanier-Kamaha’o, LG (Project Geologist); Dustin Taylor, EIT (Staff Engineer)