In my area of Cisco IT there are a lot of women. We are still the minority, and I wish there were more of us. The good news is, in my experience, we are treated equally with the men in terms of respect, daily interactions, job roles, and leadership opportunities. I don't know much about people's pay, but of what little I have heard, the women are paid similarly to the men. Cisco's good at giving back to the community. I have participated in Cisco sponsored activities and groups designed to encourage more girls to study STEM in school and join IT. I would like to point out that there are also lots of IT jobs available to women who do NOT have STEM degrees. Not all of us are engineers. I did not study STEM, and I am a project manager. You should apply anyway, even if you don't have a STEM degree. Don't be intimidated by the term IT, there are many other roles in this area that don't require engineering. There is a place for you somewhere in Cisco.

I've worked at Cisco off and on since the late 90's, both as a consultant and now, for the second time, as a full timer "blue badge." Cisco is extraordinarily diverse and has a fantastic culture for women. If considering a position at Cisco, I would get as many interviews as possible, with a variety of people and ask specific questions about the group. I have had a couple of bad managers and some rough situations, ironically the harassment was from a female manager. Look into employee groups and diversity and inclusion projects and activities - they are there but you do have to seek them on your own a bit.

I work in a building with a designated area for customers. Sometimes the customers make me feel uncomfortable (i.e. a look or a wink). As soon as I walk into the Cisco side of the building I feel safe and respected. This juxtaposition has really highlighted the values of the company for me! There are also female centric employee resource organizations with great programming if you know where to look. I work in HR so inclusion and equality are top of mind for many and I have had a great experience. However, I believe there is room for improvement in other areas of the company.