Member Article

Why STEM Needs Women On Side

“A nation’s competitiveness depends, among other things, on whether and how it educates and utilises its female talent”, was one of the most important conclusions from the 2016 World Economic Summit in Davos. I agree and unless we get more women on board there is no foreseeable way we can fill the 2.5 million job openings for engineers, forecast in the UK between now and 2022.

The challenge we face in the UK is not education but the promotion of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers to women by ensuring the full portfolio these subjects offer is clear and articulated, as opposed to being left to the imagination. After all, they don’t all involve lab coats and overalls. STEM subjects can open doors into anything from habit preservation of endangered animals, industrial plant management or even going into space.

For me, when I was growing up, I simply enjoyed maths and science. I appreciated the accuracy and the fact they were far less subjective than other classes – it never occurred to me they were ‘boys’ subjects’. And this is the way it should be. It’s about making sure gender preferences are removed so women and men alike are not held back from excelling in certain subjects, careers or even hobbies because they’re deemed gender specific. After all, they’re not.

We need to ensure we’re encouraging everyone to achieve starting with removing gender bias from subjects at school and not discouraging girls from mathematics and sciences, as STEM careers are exceptionally rewarding. In recent years, we have been putting amends to this in the UK; however, in spite of recent improvements in female uptake in STEM at GCSE level, the number of women taking A Level physics and mathematics in 2014 was low, just 23.7% and 39.4% respectively.

So what can be done? We have to create a culture that makes more women believe they are capable of rising to the top, even in once male dominated sectors, but this is changing. By attracting female talent in the sector we are succeeding in changing the culture of STEM and growing the sector at the same time.

Of the estimated 2.5 million job openings for engineers in the UK half of these are forecast to be filled by women. If women did fill these posts it could contribute an extra £2 billion to the economy and the government has recognised this resulting in £30 million being pledged to develop engineering skills in smaller companies and encouraging more women into engineering.

Ultimately, it’s all about empowerment and helping women and men alike achieve their potential through continuous learning, mentoring and coaching – so they gain the self-confidence to step up. So let’s make STEM more inclusive and UK plc more competitive at the same time.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sarah Moseley .