Ok, you are probably wondering wtf is a M.A.W.G (middle aged white guy) doing posting about women and girls in Women and Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Good question and no, I’m not intending to “mansplain”.
The fact is, women are under-represented in scientific and engineering roles. According to research, in America women make up only 28% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college. The gender gaps are particularly high in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paid jobs of the future, like computer science and engineering.
On their website “A plan for achieving gender equality in the research and innovation system” the European Commission states that:
Despite a long history of scientific achievements, women remain acutely under-represented in scientific research and academia.
Women have long contributed to scientific research and breakthroughs. Ada Lovelace developed the first computer algorithm back in the mid 1800s, and anyone who has received an X-ray has Marie Curie to thank. Then there’s mathematician Katherine Johnson, whose work on orbital mechanics for NASA’s Apollo programme was retold in the movie ‘Hidden Figures’. And many COVID-19 vaccines owe their existence to biochemist Katalin Karikó.
Yet, despite this myriad of achievements, science continues to suffer deeply rooted gender inequalities, stereotypes and discrimination. According to the recent She Figures report commissioned by the European Commission, women outnumber men as students and graduates, yet they represent only one third of researchers, and only a quarter of full professorship positions are held by women.
I want my daughter to have a better future
My daughter is currently ten years old. She is extraordinarily clever, excels at mathematics and science. She is fascinated by the world, is a minecraft expert and has recently started to learn coding.
Yet I know that, in many ways, girls and women are systematically tracked away from science and math throughout their education, limiting their access, preparation and opportunities to go into these fields as adults.
This is unacceptable.
We know better
Over my career I have worked with many women who were exceptional, certainly smarter and more capable than many of their male colleagues (myself included).
Yet often I saw them overlooked for promotions and other opportunities.
Not only does this damage the careers of the women involved, it helps perpetuate an environment where women and girls avoid, or are guided away, from studying these fields.
This is a loss not only for the potential of these women, but for society as a whole.
Avoiding reverse bias
Ensuring the woman have equal opportunities doesn’t mean discriminating against men (https://diginomica.com/reverse-discrimination-the-other-side-of-the-coin-for-hr-to-tackle).
Gender (and racial) bias can turn up in all sorts of places, and is often (but certainly not always) unintended and unconscious. This can make it difficult to ensure that hiring and selection processes are neutral, even down to where and how positions are advertised.
The Empowering Guide for Women in Tech in 2022
The following article “The Empowering Guide for Women in Tech in 2022” from Jennifer Gregory is a useful resource which discusses the current disparity and outlines a number of positive actions we can take to help address this challenge.
Women in STEM at Aegle Technology
At Aegle Technology SL we are committed to implementing a Gender Equality Plan (GEP) and we will be making further announcements regarding this topic in the near future.