Encouraging women in the semiconductor sector

In recognition of International Women in Engineering Day, the focus of this Agile Analog blog post is something close to my heart—how to encourage more women to work and progress in the semiconductor industry. It is such an interesting place to work—delivering innovative electronic devices that impact positively on everyday lives. IoT, healthcare sensors, automotive safety systems, and remote monitoring solutions—all made possible by advances in semiconductors. And there are always new applications coming down the line. When you work in the semiconductor sector, you never get bored! Let me briefly share more about how I got started.

Back to the beginning

At college and university there were very few girls in my engineering classes. This added more pressure, and there was sometimes work in my mechanical engineering lessons that was physically challenging. However, I learned to be more confident, to step outside of my comfort zone, and to look at different ways to do the work. I was determined that engineering was the career for me. Following a master’s degree in electronics engineering, I began my career as a design engineer for VLSI Technology, an American company with a division in the south of France. I was designing SoC blocks, developing behavioral models, writing Verilog, and performing synthesis, place and route, and verification tasks. It was a varied job that enabled me to gain great hands-on technical experience, which has helped me throughout my career as I moved into more commercial and management roles at TSMC and GUC (Global Unichip) Europe.

Still a long way to go

I have been fortunate in my career to have managers who encouraged me to take on more responsibility, with support from both men and women who believed in my abilities and goals. This has played a significant part in my success and path to leadership. However, many female engineers have not been so lucky. I find it so disappointing that fewer than 30% of engineering graduates are female and quite shocking that fewer than 5% of leadership positions in the semiconductor sector are held by women. That’s why I am supporting the Global Semiconductor Alliance Talent Initiative and the GSA Women’s Leadership Initiative, which aims to increase female representation in technical and leadership roles by, for example, developing mentoring programs. As part of the GSA EMEA Women’s Leadership Council, I am using my experience to help champion these activities and encourage more female engineers to progress in their careers. My advice is to be confident in your own abilities. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Embrace every opportunity and take the initiative.

Diversity is crucial

Having a diverse workplace means that we will be able to deal with a more diverse range of issues and challenges. Gender should not be seen as a barrier in life, but in such a male-dominated environment, female engineers need role models to inspire them throughout their careers. That’s why I am asking women in senior and leadership positions within the semiconductor sector to speak out—come forward and share your expertise and experiences within your organization and at industry events. Seeing diversity in action and receiving support will help encourage more women to work and progress in the semiconductor industry.

If you would like to work for an innovative analog IP specialist that values diversity and offers a range of interesting roles, please check out our career opportunities.