I have always been passionate about developing and creating new things since I was a kid, and this continued to become an integral part of my life. I still recall how thrilled I was to be the first girl in class to write my very own computer programme successfully. There was this irreplaceable sense of satisfaction seeing my ideas come to life.
Frankly, I was never afraid of stepping into the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) industry because of my gender. I knew that nothing could stop me from pursuing my dream as long as I remained curious, driven, and open-minded, especially to new challenges. So, I kept learning and working hard to expand my knowledge and skills.
Key barriers hindering women’s STEM progress and participation
Women have made huge strides in STEM in many countries over the years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women made up 27% of STEM workers in 2019, compared with just eight percent in 1970.
Despite significant progression over the years, men still account for most of the professionals in STEM industries across the globe. Looking more closely, according to the United Nations, women only make up a quarter of professionals in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence (AI).
Gender challenges persist, making it intimidating for women to consider studying STEM or further their careers in this industry after college. The two most significant challenges women face today are confidence and the lack of mentorship.
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Fast forward to 2022, it is encouraging to see organisations being more transparent about gender bias in the workplace today. However, simply highlighting the gender gap in discussions, such as the lower salary women receive compared to men, may induce fear and trepidation in women, not enthusiasm and optimism.
To bridge this, there is an opportunity for us to tell positive stories more frequently that resonate well with women, helping improve their perception of a STEM career. For example, we need to recognise the important contributions women have made to the industry. It is also vital for successful women to share how they have learned from female and male mentors, collaborators, and supporters during their professional journey.
Impact of gender biases on emerging tech and innovation
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Another reason we need more women in the STEM industries is to prevent building our inherent biases into technology. Human biases are well-documented, from implicit association tests demonstrating preferences we may not even be aware of, to field experiments showing how these biases can affect outcomes. Over the past years, society has started to wrestle with just how much these human biases can make their way into artificial intelligence systems — with harmful results.
Technology developed by a homogenous group of individuals will more likely contain bias, presenting an issue that persists due to the low representation of women in the STEM industry. Companies need to pay attention to their data to build and train AI and machine learning models without bias. The training data you feed into the neural network must be comprehensive and balanced, replicating real-world scenarios like demographics and not containing biased predispositions.
Beyond important moral, ethical, and justice arguments favouring diversity in STEM, the lack of diversity in STEM fields could also impact productivity and innovation. Companies that embrace diversity witness greater collaboration across teams, translating to more innovative solutions to the world’s greatest problems.
According to McKinsey, global companies with greater gender diversity in their executive teams were 25% more likely to achieve above-average profitability than their less diverse peers. It has never been more crucial for companies to expand the participation of underrepresented groups to help tackle the global shortage of STEM talents.
Leaders must unite to support women in STEM
To deal with the challenges women are still facing in STEM, leaders must further recognise the importance of gender diversity and inclusion, which can improve workplace culture and create a strong sense of belonging among employees. That’s essential, especially in this era of the great resignation where over 54% of employees globally are considering leaving their jobs.
Companies can also create dedicated platforms for women to hone their skills and knowledge and share their learnings and positive experiences. For example, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has launched the POWERS programme to tackle gender bias, offering workshops for women to build their skills and connect with mentors. That’s an excellent step for the STEM industry in Singapore, and I believe that the gender disparity will improve as more companies take on a similar approach.
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As for the young women wanting to enter the STEM field, my advice is not to be afraid to get uncomfortable. It is natural to feel uneasy when exploring things you’ve never done before. Take the first step and embrace it. You’ll never know, you may excel in a STEM career in ways you never thought possible.
Elif Tutuk is the vice president of Innovation and Design at Qlik
Photo: Unsplash
