What is FemSTEM? If you haven’t heard about it before, here is your opportunity to be enlightened. FemSTEM is an important initiative that seeks to increase the number of women and girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education and professions. This initiative works to address gender disparities in STEM by providing resources, support, and advocacy for women and girls. The FemSTEM initiative is necessary because of the significant gender gap that exists in STEM fields. There are many books and records of the remarkable achievements of women in STEM, but none until FemSTEM that provide a clear roadmap.
Significance of FemSTEM
Women are underrepresented in STEM fields at all levels, from college students to professors and professionals. This gap is due to a variety of factors, from unconscious bias to unequal access to resources and opportunities. The results of this gender gap are far-reaching, from fewer women in tech leadership positions to a lack of representation in the development of STEM’s world-shaping technologies.
The FemSTEM initiative works to bridge this gap by providing a variety of resources and support to women and girls in STEM. It offers mentorship programs and workshops, as well as access to scholarships, grants, and other funding opportunities. FemSTEM also works to create a positive and supportive environment for women and girls in STEM, by advocating for policies and initiatives that create a more equitable and inclusive STEM ecosystem.
FemSTEM also recognizes the importance of female representation in STEM. By highlighting and amplifying the stories of successful women in STEM, FemSTEM works to inspire the next generation of female STEM professionals. This is especially important for young girls, as well as women of color, who have frequently faced significant barriers to success in STEM fields. The FemSTEM initiative is also important for the enabling of future successful fulfilment of STEM related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
By providing support and resources to women and girls in STEM, FemSTEM is working to create a more equitable and inclusive STEM ecosystem. This, in turn, will lead to more opportunities for women and girls in STEM, and a more diverse and innovative STEM capacity for researching, developing and implementing the solutions to many complex Global problems.
An Under-Represented Gender
Women make up only about 15% of the workforce in STEM, and men continue to outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college and University. This lack of representation is due to a variety of factors, from a lack of pre-college experience to a masculine culture that frequently discourages women from participating.
The shortage of women in STEM begins with a shortage of girls studying STEM subjects beyond GCSE (or High School Diploma combined with subject grades in other countries) and into higher education. Despite initiatives to encourage more girls to pursue STEM subjects, gender stereotypes and biases continue to effectively limit the number of women who pursue STEM fields. Furthermore, women may understandbly lack the interest or certainty to pursue STEM due to negative stereotypes about their abilities or cultural barriers to entry, including the reality that most young women are unable interact with female STEM role models as they choose from among a host of college courses, most of which cannot offer the exciting possibilities of a STEM career.
These gender disparities are also present in the workplace. Women are underrepresented in math, physical sciences, computing and engineering, but not all STEM degree fields. Women are more likely than men to pursue fields such as biology, chemistry, and health sciences. However, they are still underrepresented in higher paying STEM jobs and are more likely to be underpaid or experience gender discrimination in STEM fields. The gap could be a self-perpetuating problem. FemSTEM aims to provide greater freedom to young women to choose STEM with confidence.
All In All
In order to address this gender gap and its myriad of consequences, initiatives such as FemSTEM are necessary. FemSTEM will increase the number of women and girls in STEM by providing needed resources, support, and advocacy. These initiatives are essential for creating a more equitable and inclusive STEM ecosystem and greater opportunities for women and girls to freely and determinedly pursue STEM. Scott Goobie’s latest work, FemSTEM addresses the underrepresentation of women in STEM and provides a roadmap that shows how their inclusion is a dire need for a better and sustainable future for humanity and the planet – a future that avoids the seriously dystopian possibilities that are emerging.
