The Sisterhood Code

The recent Annual Conference of the Society of Women Engineers was an energizing event. Thousands of women engineers gathered in downtown LA to learn, network, and celebrate. These are groundbreaking women who are using their intelligence and drive to carve out new roles and pave the way for others. I was honored to be an invited speaker for a Mega Session on “Finding and Using Your Power.” Among other aspects of mobilizing female power, I talked about the power of women working together. I shared “The Sisterhood Code,” a document I had written a couple of years ago after hearing about “The Bro Code.” Some audience members asked me to post The Sisterhood Code on my website, so here it is:

The Sisterhood Code

• I will combat negative stereotypes of women.

• I will cheer the successes of other women.I will stick up for other women.

• I will look for ways to promote other women’s careers.

• I will trade favors with other women.I will value other women’s work.

• I will measure my success in part by how well I help other women to succeed.

• I will be inclusive of women.

• I will value myself, my talents, and my contributions.

• I will guard against my own anti-woman thoughts and behaviors with vigilance.

Women won’t achieve equality without the help and support of our male colleagues. But we can start by ensuring that we are helping and supporting each other.