The Growing Number of Women in STEM Roles in the UK
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields have historically been male-dominated industries. Fortunately, there has been a lot of progress made in recent times as more and more women enter these fields and build rewarding careers for themselves while reshaping the industries. Keep reading to find out more.
Table of Contents
Historical Context & Current Trends
Historical norms and educational biases have previously held women back from STEM careers, leading to male-dominated fields. This is now changing with a growing emphasis on workplace diversity and equality in recent times. The number of women in STEM careers has climbed from 21% to 26% between 2016 and 2022, which is good progress in a short time period. In particular, technology and engineering are areas where women are building rewarding careers and reshaping these industries.
Success Stories & Role Models
As more women enter these fields, there are a growing number of success stories and role models for young women with an interest in these areas to take inspiration from. There are a number of prominent female STEM professionals that those interested in pursuing STEM careers should listen to, including:
- Ozak Esu (multi-award-winning electronic and electrical engineer)
- Roma Agrawal (structural engineer who spent six years working on The Shard)
- Dr Liberty Vittert (Ambassador for the Royal Statistical Society)
Educational Initiatives & Programs
STEM careers all start with good education. Educational institutions, including schools, colleges, and universities, now encourage girls to explore STEM subjects from a young age with coding camps, science fairs, and scholarships specifically aimed at female students. Additionally, there are non-profits like Smallpiece Trust that organise workshops to make these subjects more appealing and accessible to girls.
The Impact of Women on STEM
There has been a lot of good progress made in recent years opening doors for women to pursue rewarding and lucrative careers in STEM, but it is also the fields themselves that benefit. Diversity in the workplace is incredible important for brining new ideas to the table, creative problem-solving, and creating positive workplace environments. It is worth engaging with consulting services to discover how to create a more inclusive workforce in STEM fields. Female participation in STEM can also lead to innovation in these fields and stronger economic growth.
It is clear that there has been a lot of positive progress made in recent times to address the gender imbalance in STEM careers, but there is more work that needs to be done. It is important to encourage girls from a young age to pursue STEM fields, which becomes easier when these fields are not so male-dominated and when there are inspirational STEM women to look up to and emulate.