Opportunities for women in science industry are on the increase
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Traditionally, women have represented only a small minority in STEM-based occupations, and it’s a trend that is still dissipating more slowly than you might expect.
In 2018, women only made up 14.4 percent of all people working in STEM in the UK. While there are more women entering these job market areas, the real change is happening in schools and universities, as the early exploration of STEM is showing girls that gender-assigned roles are a thing of the past.
There are many opportunities for young women to participate in the sciences, as I believe it is important to introduce the idea of science to pupils at a young age, in order to begin their academic careers free of a misconception that STEM subjects are just for boys.
Three years ago I introduced a science fair at Wellington College International Shanghai, with amazing support from staff, parents and pupils. We began in 2017-18 school year, with 60 participants in Year 5, then the following year had 350 participants spread over Years 3 and 5. This year we will continue to grow the program.
Through our science fair, pupils also learn about different featured scientists.
I usually pick women and minority scientists to feature as focus scientists for the pupils, to expose them to the idea that scientists are not just male or white. We were lucky enough to have NASA astronaut Barbara Morgan visit our school last year and talk to the pupils about her incredible career.
I think that a huge part of giving girls the opportunity to participate in STEM subjects, particularly in engineering and science, is to provide those opportunities for them in the classroom as early on as possible.
Providing role models of different genders and races, normalizing the idea of full participation in the STEM subjects regardless of gender, and creating opportunities for all pupils to participate — this shapes the world view of girls and boys, thus giving them the widest range of possibilities for their future.
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