Today we celebrate the 10th anniversary of International Day of the Girl, which recognizes girls’ rights and the unique challenges they face in reaching their potential.
Tech has the power to drive progress for all, so an imbalance in opportunities closes possibilities for girls and women – and can inhibit innovation that can benefit everyone. But women comprise only 28% of the workforce in STEM fields, and men vastly outnumber women in STEM majors in college.
That’s why Mastercard launched Girls4Tech, its hands-on STEM education program for girls ages 8 to 16, with employees as role models and mentors. Eight years later, Girls4Tech has reached 2.5 million girls in 56 countries, and a new partnership with the online media company We Are Teachers will bring its cyber and AI curriculum to an additional 450,000 third- to seventh-graders in the U.S. by the end of 2023.
But building a more inclusive future only starts with STEM. We asked women across Mastercard and female founders from Mastercard Start Path, the startup engagement program, to share a piece of guidance they wish they could tell their 12-year-old self as she started thinking about ways she could impact the world. (Says Girls4Tech founder Susan Warner, “Girl, pay more attention in algebra and take that physics class, because you’re going to run one of the world’s largest STEM programs one day.”)
Here’s what they had to say:
Continue reading: https://www.mastercard.com/news/perspectives/2022/international-day-of-the-girl-2022/
Tech has the power to drive progress for all, so an imbalance in opportunities closes possibilities for girls and women – and can inhibit innovation that can benefit everyone. But women comprise only 28% of the workforce in STEM fields, and men vastly outnumber women in STEM majors in college.
That’s why Mastercard launched Girls4Tech, its hands-on STEM education program for girls ages 8 to 16, with employees as role models and mentors. Eight years later, Girls4Tech has reached 2.5 million girls in 56 countries, and a new partnership with the online media company We Are Teachers will bring its cyber and AI curriculum to an additional 450,000 third- to seventh-graders in the U.S. by the end of 2023.
But building a more inclusive future only starts with STEM. We asked women across Mastercard and female founders from Mastercard Start Path, the startup engagement program, to share a piece of guidance they wish they could tell their 12-year-old self as she started thinking about ways she could impact the world. (Says Girls4Tech founder Susan Warner, “Girl, pay more attention in algebra and take that physics class, because you’re going to run one of the world’s largest STEM programs one day.”)
Here’s what they had to say:
Continue reading: https://www.mastercard.com/news/perspectives/2022/international-day-of-the-girl-2022/
