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Why we need more women in STEM
Sarah Thomsen
There's no question that we need more women in STEM. We know that gender diversity leads to better outcomes for businesses, and yet women are still massively underrepresented in these fields.
In 1927, Marie Curie was the only woman to attend the conference on atomic theory in Solvay, Belgium. According to a UNESCO report for the years 2015-2018, only 28% of the world's researchers were women. We've come a long way, but there's still a long way to go. Just 11 women have won the Nobel Prize so far!
It's not just about fairness or representation. Studies have shown that companies with gender-diverse teams perform better than those without. So it's not just the right thing to do – it's also the smart thing to do. Gender of all things, come on! Women are equally brilliant and capable as men, sometimes even more so. According to a study by Boston Consulting Group, firms with a diversified executive team indicated innovation profit that was 19% greater than businesses with below-average management diversity – 45% of overall sales vs just 26%. And according to this report, women are less likely to join or enrol in the STEM field. In reality, just 28% of engineering degree holders and 40% of computer science graduates are women, and barely 1 in 5 specialists work in sectors like artificial intelligence.
There are many reasons for this. One is the "leaky pipeline" – the idea that women drop out of STEM fields at every stage of their careers, from education to employment. This is often due to sexist attitudes and a lack of support from employers. But it's also because women are more likely to face barriers to entry in the first place.
Take education, for example. In many countries, girls are discouraged from pursuing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math(STEM). They're told that these subjects are too difficult, or that they're not" suitable" for women. This is completely wrong. Girls are just as capable as boys when it comes to STEM – they just need the same opportunities and encouragement.
And yet, even in developed countries, women are still massively underrepresented in STEM fields. In the United States, for example, women make up just 27% of the workforce in science and engineering. This is partly due to the fact that women are more likely to leave STEM careers to take on caring responsibilities. But it's also because they face discrimination and sexism in the workplace.
When women come into STEM, the economy of that country and global scale benefit. A study done by McKinsey shows that having more women in leadership positions can add $150 billion to $280 billion to GDP in Canada.
This is because women add to the richness of knowledge and bring a different perspective to problem-solving. It is essential to have both women and men in leadership positions to get different viewpoints on the same problem. It has been proven time and again that a more diverse group makes better decisions than a homogeneous one.
A recent study found that, of all the factors that contribute to the under-representation of women in STEM, the most important is “biases and gender stereotypes ". These are the attitudes that tell women that they're not good enough or that they don't belong in these fields.
These attitudes are deep-rooted, and they're not going to change overnight. But there are things we can do to challenge them. We can start by making sure that women have the same opportunities as men to enter into and succeed in STEM careers. And we can create more inclusive workplaces where everyone feels valued and respected.
Change is never easy. But if we want to create a more equal world, we need to start by ensuring that women have an equal place in STEM. But how do we get more women into STEM? Well, there are a few things that need to happen.
So how can we get more women into STEM
First, we need to address the biases and gender stereotypes that are holding women back. We need to challenge the idea that women are somehow not suited for STEM, or that they're not as capable as men. This is simply not true.
Second, we need to make sure that women have the same opportunities as men to enter into STEM careers. This means providing the same resources and opportunities, whether that's in terms of education, employment, or funding for research.
And finally, we need to create more inclusive workplaces where everyone feels valued and respected. This includes things like flexible working arrangements, which can be vital for women with caring responsibilities.
There are a number of reasons for this, but one of the most important is the lack of role models. Women in STEM are often working in isolation, and they don't have anyone to look up to or feel inspired by.
This is why it's so important to have more women in visible roles in STEM. We need to see more women in senior positions, and we need to see more women working in fields like artificial intelligence. This will help to inspire the next generation of women in STEM, and it will show them that anything is possible.
The lack of role models is just one barrier that women in STEM face. Another is the lack of support from employers. But it's also because women are more likely to face barriers in terms of education, employment, and funding for research.
Solving the problem: what we can do
There are things that we can do to address these barriers. We can start by making sure that women have the same opportunities as men to enter into and succeed in STEM careers. And we can create more inclusive workplaces where everyone feels valued and respected.
We also need to increase the number of women in STEM. There are a number of things that need to happen if we're going to increase the number of women in STEM. And for this we need to solve the pay gap so that women in STEM are paid equally to their male counterparts. The gender pay gap is a huge issue for women in STEM. In the UK, the average pay gap between men and women in STEM is 15.6%. This means that women are effectively working for free for more than two months every year.
There are a number of things that need to happen if we're going to close the gender pay gap in STEM.
First, we need to make sure that women have the same opportunities as men to enter into and succeed in STEM careers. This means providing the same resources and opportunities, whether that's in terms of education, employment, or funding for research.
Apart from gender equality, women can bring a lot of innovation and creativity to the field, which is essential for the betterment of the society. There is a need to have more women in the field of science and technology because they can provide a different perspective on problem-solving. It has been proven time and again that a more diverse group makes better decisions than a homogeneous one.
Interestingly seatbelts were made to fit only men! It was only later, when women demanded for seatbelts to be made to fit them as well, did the industry realize that seatbelts needed to be designed to fit everyone, not just men.
Conclusion:
Women are the future. For the world to be a better place, we need to have more women in STEM. The lack of diversity is a problem, and it's one that we need to solve. We need to provide the same resources and opportunities for women, we need to create more inclusive workplaces, and we need to make sure that women are paid equally. The path to equality is not always easy, but it's one that we must take if we want to create a better world for everyone.
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