Improving gender representation in STEM industries is everyone’s responsibility

This year marks the 10^th anniversary of International Women in Engineering Day (IWED). A crucial awareness day for profiling the amazing work that female engineers continue to achieve around the world.

But while a lot of progress has been made in those 10 years to improve gender representation in the industry, according to some of its leading female voices, we still have a long way to go.

There’s work to be done

Science is at an exciting tipping point, and we’ve seen the industry making waves to deliver previously unimaginable benefits for society.

We only have to think back to the COVID-19 vaccination rollout to remind ourselves just how fast-paced and sophisticated the industry has become. And both Alice Tome-Fernandez, Senior Applications Scientist, Automota, and Shawna Wolverton, Chief Product Officer, Benchling agree.

In fact, Wolverton believes it’s not just the science that has been coming along, but female representation too, she says: “science feels like it’s further along in female leadership nowadays. I show up at customers’ offices and round tables, and I’m seeing a really high representation of women in biotech. This is promising as so much about how you get more representation in a field is about seeing those leaders at the top.”

However, Tome-Fernandez believes IWED serves as a reminder that we should “not only focus on these [scientific] advancements, but also continue to address any unconscious biases within the lab space.”

She adds that “developing a workplace culture that values and empowers women is crucial for their visibility, respect, and safety. A science laboratory should be a place where every voice is heard and valued, and every idea taken seriously.”

Sue-Ellen Wright, Managing Director Aerospace Defence and Security, Sopra Steria, agrees. According to her, “despite a greater focus on encouraging girls to study STEM subjects at school and getting women back into the workplace, equal representation is still not being achieved in the engineering industry.”

She continues, “less than a fifth of engineering and technology students are female, while women currently make up just under 17% of the overall workforce. [IWED therefore] offers an important opportunity to highlight the contribution of women and girls in engineering.”

Unfortunately, several challenges persist that hinder the representation of women in these fields. Andra Buica, Senior Solutions Engineer, DU and AI, UIPath believes that “historically there is a gender stereotype and bias that becomes deep-rooted from early ages – if you look at children’s toys, it’s more likely to see a pink kitchenware set with a little girl on the package, while a mechanical kit will be targeted at boys.

By exposing children from early ages towards all different paths they could take in life, they’ll make their own choice based on broader knowledge of what they can achieve, no matter their gender.”

Encouraging more women into STEM careers

“In this day and age, we shouldn’t have to justify the value of bringing more women into the STEM workforce, but it’s worth noting that the benefits are quantifiable”, that’s according to Renee Tarun, Deputy CISO, Fortinet. She says, “historical data has found that female-led tech companies have performed better, with women CEOs in the Fortune 1000 driving three times the returns as S&P 500 enterprises run predominantly by their male counterparts.

However, the benefits of a more gender-diverse workforce extend beyond just helping organisations to hit their financial goals. Studies have shown that women bring crucial soft skills to the workplace and often outperform men in areas such as taking initiative, communicating, demonstrating resilience, building relationships, and developing others.” And Stacey Moser, Chief Commercial Officer, Universal Robots, adds to this, stating that “without a diverse workforce, engineering and technology industries are being held back.

Eve Maler, CTO, ForgeRock, agrees and believes that “true innovation is unlocked when diverse opinions are exchanged to solve problems. To develop the next big thing, we need to be open to new voices, and it’s only by embracing a diverse workforce can you supercharge your organisation with a greater variety of viewpoints that help foster creativity and innovation.”

Despite this, it’s clear that more work is required to improve female representation across the industry. According to Marianne Calder, VP EMEA Partner Sales, Genesys, “as one of the leading sectors globally, the tech industry plays a huge role here. Digital skills are in high demand, yet a growing digital gender gap means some women are being left behind. While some progress has been made, there is still more to be done.

“There are so many opportunities to bring girls in at a young age to gain experience and be made aware of the diversity of jobs available, or simply supporting girls who code or mentoring young aspiring women in person and remotely.”

Moser agrees. She firmly believes “we need to equip the next generation of women to be ready to accelerate technology further and this needs to be addressed at grassroots level to make a real difference.”

Making waves from an early age

So, what do female leaders from the industry suggest for improving gender representation, and what’s their advice for young girls considering a career in STEM?

Afiya Chohollo, VP of Engineering & Technical Program Management, Onfido, would encourage women interested in pursuing engineering or other STEM careers to connect with others in their industry to hear and learn from their experiences. She says, “building your network/people you know can create mentorships that last a lifetime, sponsoring you as you grow. There’s a wealth of valuable resources and content – I’ve found that reading literature from field leaders, listening to podcasts and following the work of industry influencers is just as essential to career development.”

Meanwhile, Kelly Hills, former Software Engineer at TD Bank and Pluralsight Author, offers some guidance from her own experiences. When she started her career as a junior software engineer, she says she was seriously struggling with imposter syndrome. “I know it’s a common challenge faced by many women in an industry still dominated by men,”

Hills explains. “To help overcome this feeling, finding other women who are on a similar journey to you is vital. I have found that women in this industry are always keen to help each other out, so support them and let them support you.”

This sentiment rings true for many other female leaders we spoke to. Karen Worstell, Senior Cybersecurity Strategist, VMWare Security, believes allyship in diversity is as important today as it has ever been. “We know the structural and systemic issues at the heart of this shortage of women in IT. However, the only way to affect change is to collaborate.

Networking programmes and community support initiatives are such rich resources.” Her key piece of advice for any women curious about IT is to “use all the tools available to find ways around, through, over, under… however you need, to achieve those goals I know you’ve got.”

Meanwhile, Renske Galema, Area VP Northern Europe, CyberArk, believes improving representation needs to start at a much earlier age. “If only 28% of the STEM-workforce is female, then we still have a long journey ahead,” explains Galema. “The only way to increase these numbers is to start at the grassroot level. School-going girls needs to be told that there are a variety of career options open to them – and they need access to role models in STEM who are paving the way. They need to know that STEM subjects are not ‘heavy lifting’ for girls.”

Sook Meng Muk, Senior Director of Engineering, Matillion, agrees, explaining that “it’s pivotal we continue to make the case for engineering as a discipline, but also encourage the next generation of women leaders in the space. Creating opportunities for women to hone in their own leadership skills, and share their own experiences of working with teams of diverse backgrounds, will pave the way for better representation.”

How businesses can pave the way for bigger change

As many of her peers have also pointed out, Caroline Vignollet, SVP of R&D, OneSpan, reiterates that “it’s a well-known fact there is a lack of women in the engineering industry, especially in the high tech, IT, and cybersecurity domains.

“I think people forget the toll and the unintended consequences a lack of representation and role models can have on those in the industry, especially when starting their careers. That’s why it’s important to have female mentors, role models, and leaders and why it’s just as important to have male allyship in companies and the industry as a whole.”

Presumably then, businesses themselves have a huge role to play in helping female employees enter the workforce and develop their careers. But, according to Yvonne Kiely, Head of Advisory, Europe, Avanade, “STEM industries, are still struggling to hire female talent. It is my belief a large part of the reason for this is because, often, too great an emphasis is put on employees having a corresponding education to the industry they’re applying for. Yet, it’s this non-inclusive growth which is at the heart of the skills gap and making organisations unattractive to younger talent.”

In her opinion, “organisations to re-evaluate the traditional way to employment through higher education and academic prowess – and see it isn’t always the right approach.”

Laurie Haley, VP of Strategic Alliances, Veracode, shares similar thoughts. For her, “a big part of getting more women and girls into engineering roles is creating the pathways for them to do so. Accessing industry networks and support, from mentors in particular, is key. I started my career in technical sales, before making the leap into network engineering – and this was really the catalyst for my career in cybersecurity and what I do today.”

If businesses make the change, they stand to benefit, as pointed out by Julie Kae, VP Sustainability and DE&I and Executive Director, Qlik. She says “People must bring their unique perspective to the table to create the most innovative and successful outcome. Women in Engineering Day is a celebration of the unique skills that women bring to the table in order to solve problems. Women are over half the world’s population so our perspective is absolutely needed and valuable.”

It’s up to you

Speaking to so many different female voices from the STEM industries acts as a hugely positive demonstration of the change that is already happening to improve gender representation in what have always been highly male-dominated sectors. But it’s clear that their experiences prove there is still so much more to be done to remove bias, improve representation and encourage more women from the next generation into the STEM workforce.

This is everyone’s responsibility, from education institutions, to businesses, to individuals working alongside women in tech that have an opportunity to support them on their STEM journeys.