Getting more women into STEM can improve financial outcomes

Growing up, I never saw an engineer from my family, no less a woman engineer! It took a lot of convincing my father that this was the career path I would like to venture into and that it was worth investing in.

I won that battle but I was not ready for what awaited me in school. I went to the University of Salford in Manchester, UK. In a class of 53, only four of us were women.

That women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) training, and careers cannot be gainsaid.

Today, if you walk into any engineering school at a university or a technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institution that primarily offers STEM courses, only five out of 100 students will be women.

Sadly, the numbers get even smaller in the workplace, as female STEM graduates are likely to face obstacles that force them to terminate or switch careers.

Women comprise about 50 percent of the workforce, mostly in small-scale agriculture and informal business sectors.

It is concerning that half of our population should be better represented in an industry that is the bedrock of innovation, value addition, and industrialisation.

It is a systemic challenge that discourages women from pursuing STEM careers. We have witnessed young women fall prey to the false narrative that STEM is difficult, forcing many to opt for the apparently manageable humanities or social sciences.

Yet, women in STEM careers bring diverse skill sets and ideas to the workplace, and it makes business sense for employers (public or private) to make deliberate choices in training and hiring.

Evidence shows that educating, training, and hiring more women and other underrepresented groups in STEM can lead to better scientific and financial outcomes.

Diversifying the workforce sharpens an organisation by bringing rich perspectives and ideas, which gives it a competitive edge.

So, what can we do to close the gender gap in STEM training and careers? A few ideas have been tried in the past, but they have not been backed by policy and resources.

First, we need to understand that promoting STEM differs from understating the role of humanities and social sciences.

These have their place in any society. However, students interested in STEM should be supported and mentored to stay the course.

The second area we need to invest in is mindset change. Young women need the confidence to know they can be anything they want to be if they work hard and stay the course.

Parents and teachers should spot and nurture talent, and mentor young women inclined to STEM.