Paycom Commissions Study To Learn From Women In STEM

With March being International Women's Month, an Oklahoma-based company commissioned a study to learn more about women working in STEM, the company said.

Joining the News 9 team on the Coca Cola Southwest Beverages Porch, Paycom vice president of talent acquisition Tiffany McGowen said they spoke with over 600 women across the country.

"I don't think any of the findings were shocking to us," McGowen said. "Because we're in it every day."

McGowen said a third of the women they spoke with mentioned that they are proud to have a lot of female leaders in their organization, but a quarter of them also said that they still feel a lot of pressure to perform in the workplace.

McGowen also said Paycom not only looks to hire women, but also make the workspace somewhere women can be comfortable.

"We're able to compete in that way because of the benefits that we offer," McGowen said. "What that allows us to do is we have resource groups, one of our largest is our women's resource group."

McGowen said the women's resource group allows for a safe space for women to come in and find camaraderie or mentorship, and if needed, to take time for personal needs.

"We're able to provide nursing rooms, not a closet, but a safe space, a clean space with a refrigerator," McGowen said. "New moms can come and they can store their milk, and we offer very plush parental leave, adoption, foster care, secondary caregiver."

When it comes to working in STEM, McGowen said related fields are great opportunities for young women.

"It's a great career, it'll open a lot of doors," McGowen said. "I know that it's hard, but stay the course, there's a ton of opportunities."