K
Kathleen Martin
Guest
In recent years, movements to address the lack of women in STEM occupations have gained momentum, resulting in significant improvements in some STEM-related fields — particularly in social sciences and health care. However, while these are amazing developments, there is still so much more that can be done.
As it currently stands, women only account for 27% of STEM workers despite making up almost half of the total U.S. workforce. Most notably, women are severely underrepresented in engineering and computing, accounting for about 15% and 25% respectively.
Education, accessible role models and inclusive workplace environments are key factors that influence women’s career paths into STEM. Businesses and society alike can do so much to help inspire women in STEM through concentrated efforts in these areas.
Education is the foundation of success
While many may focus on higher education, the journey to a career in STEM starts much younger. The early stages of education are crucial to a child’s development, with many complex factors that can impact a girl’s career path trajectory. For instance, Accenture found that having a lack of friends in a computing class can decrease the probability of a girl studying the subject at college by up to 33%. For this reason, the role of educational institutions is paramount in encouraging girls’ development of STEM-related skills.
Promoting engagement in technology at a younger age will allow girls’ interests to develop free of societal bias. Educational institutions and governing bodies need to create more initiatives for children to become both familiar with and gain hands-on experience with technology. This will encourage young people to take an active interest in subjects that will lay the foundation for them to study STEM disciplines at higher levels.
As businesses, we can do a lot to encourage interest in STEM careers through education. For instance, we implemented The IFS Education Program to offer scholarships, grants, IT equipment and practical knowledge through internships and mentorships for students. We work with a number of different colleges and universities and plan to expand our program to 150 institutions globally over the next three years to provide students with exposure to enterprise software.
Accessible role models are needed to lead the way
One major constraint on women entering STEM industries is the lack of visible female role models. Having access to female mentors is incredibly important for the development of young women, especially in male-dominated fields. The aforementioned Accenture study found that 73% of high school girls who had an inspirational teacher said they were interested in studying computing. This figure fell to 26% for those who did not have an inspiring role model.
Female industry voices need to be promoted so that their experiences can become more widely accessible and issues affecting women in the industry can be highlighted. One way this can be achieved is by establishing mentorship programs to show how women navigate these industries while learning from real female experiences. By promoting female leaders within STEM, women will feel that the industry is more accessible to them, as they see women like themselves succeeding in it.
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/02/11/how-to-inspire-the-future-women-of-stem-as-a-business-and-as-a-society/?sh=44622b456af7
As it currently stands, women only account for 27% of STEM workers despite making up almost half of the total U.S. workforce. Most notably, women are severely underrepresented in engineering and computing, accounting for about 15% and 25% respectively.
Education, accessible role models and inclusive workplace environments are key factors that influence women’s career paths into STEM. Businesses and society alike can do so much to help inspire women in STEM through concentrated efforts in these areas.
Education is the foundation of success
While many may focus on higher education, the journey to a career in STEM starts much younger. The early stages of education are crucial to a child’s development, with many complex factors that can impact a girl’s career path trajectory. For instance, Accenture found that having a lack of friends in a computing class can decrease the probability of a girl studying the subject at college by up to 33%. For this reason, the role of educational institutions is paramount in encouraging girls’ development of STEM-related skills.
Promoting engagement in technology at a younger age will allow girls’ interests to develop free of societal bias. Educational institutions and governing bodies need to create more initiatives for children to become both familiar with and gain hands-on experience with technology. This will encourage young people to take an active interest in subjects that will lay the foundation for them to study STEM disciplines at higher levels.
As businesses, we can do a lot to encourage interest in STEM careers through education. For instance, we implemented The IFS Education Program to offer scholarships, grants, IT equipment and practical knowledge through internships and mentorships for students. We work with a number of different colleges and universities and plan to expand our program to 150 institutions globally over the next three years to provide students with exposure to enterprise software.
Accessible role models are needed to lead the way
One major constraint on women entering STEM industries is the lack of visible female role models. Having access to female mentors is incredibly important for the development of young women, especially in male-dominated fields. The aforementioned Accenture study found that 73% of high school girls who had an inspirational teacher said they were interested in studying computing. This figure fell to 26% for those who did not have an inspiring role model.
Female industry voices need to be promoted so that their experiences can become more widely accessible and issues affecting women in the industry can be highlighted. One way this can be achieved is by establishing mentorship programs to show how women navigate these industries while learning from real female experiences. By promoting female leaders within STEM, women will feel that the industry is more accessible to them, as they see women like themselves succeeding in it.
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/02/11/how-to-inspire-the-future-women-of-stem-as-a-business-and-as-a-society/?sh=44622b456af7
