‘You can’t be what you can’t see’: Getting more women into STEM

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (AATSE) has granted an additional 116 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for women and non-binary people in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

AATSE’s Elevate: Boosting Women in STEM program aims to address longstanding gender imbalances in the traditionally male-dominated STEM fields.

Let’s take the opportunity to unpack the gender inequities in STEM education and industries, its causes and possible solutions.

Female under-representation

In 2022, women accounted for 15 per cent of Australia’s STEM-qualified positions and 27 per cent of the overall STEM workforce. Women are even less represented in management positions (at 23 per cent), while men, on average, earned 17 per cent more than women. While the number of women in STEM grew from 2021–2022 by 9,000, an additional 60,000 men joined the STEM workforce over the same period (both representing a 4 per cent increase per cohort).

Research shows that female disengagement from STEM begins as early as primary school. The disengagement is further consolidated in high school, contributing to lower representation in tertiary education and the workforce. Only 21 per cent of girls aspire to a STEM career, compared with 42 per cent of boys.

Accounting for the divide

While the reasons behind the disconnect are many and varied, some indications can be gleaned from survey data. For instance, while 46 per cent of girls aged 12 to 13 report an interest in studying engineering, only 33 per cent of girls aged 14–17 express the same interest, dropping to 26 per cent at 18–21 years of age.

Female confidence levels in their STEM abilities drop in a similar way over the same period. While the main reason stated for not wanting to pursue STEM is a lack of interest, many believe the causes are more complex.

According to The GiST, there are three main contributors to female disengagement. Firstly, many female students have a “fixed mindset” rather than a “growth mindset” when it comes to STEM. They imagine that STEM requires a kind of natural talent, without which no amount of preparation or study could make them a strong STEM candidate.

Secondly, gender stereotypes may discourage female students from seeing STEM as a desirable career pathway. “Gender stereotypes consistently tell girls that women do not belong in STEM, that girls do not have natural talent in STEM, and that STEM pathways are not in accordance with how girls see themselves,” said The GiST.

“These stereotypes negatively affect girls’ beliefs about their own capacity, and also influence teachers’ and families’ expectations and aspirations for girls in STEM.”

Representation has a role to play in countering these stereotypes. As one respondent told STEM researchers: “You can’t be what you can’t see.”

Thirdly, unconscious bias can affect the way teachers, parents, and employers engage with women and girls in STEM. Unconscious bias is often the by-product of gender stereotypes. It is the application of the stereotypes. A recent study, for example, found that Australian teachers tend to teach girls less science than they do boys.

Why does it matter?

Getting more women into STEM fields is about more than equality – though this matters, too. The was the subject of a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) article titled 'Do the Math: Future-Proof Economies Need Women and Girls in STEM'.

"In achieving gender parity in STEM from education to leadership roles, a lot can be gained by way of productivity, innovations and profitability. Not to mention that this could future-proof the livelihoods and status of women and girls," found the UNDP.

Research shows that a more diverse workforce is more creative, innovative, productive, and adaptive. Shifting just 1 per cent of Australia’s workforce into STEM jobs would add an estimated $57.4 billion to the national gross domestic product (GDP) over 20 years. According to Calvin Mackie, given the importance of the STEM industries for the future of humanity, boosting STEM diversity is a “matter of life and death”.

“The lack of women in essential STEM jobs exacerbates the national skills shortage and dampens Australia’s potential to lead the way in transforming our current industries and creating new ones,” said The Conversation. “To compete on the world stage, we need a diverse and fully engaged workforce.”