GWA Women in STEM Council, and the Need for More Female STEM Leadership
Global Women Asia (GWA) announces the establishment of the Women in STEM Council. This advisory body is committed to expanding the women in STEM pipeline globally, from sparking interest in STEM education to advocating for workforce career advancement.
“By harnessing the expertise and advice from leaders in STEM, Global Women Asia will highlight role models, mobilize enablers, and identify young leaders in 2024. The GWA Board and I look forward to working with the Women in STEM Council and to seeing the insights and advice they will provide throughout the year,” says Elaine Wong , GWA Board Member.
GWA Women in STEM Council
Daisuke Kan , President, Cheerio Corporation
Katherine Kwan , AI and Machine Learning, AWS
Armen Orujyan , Founding CEO, Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST)
Vish Turaga , AI and Machine Learning, Google
Telle Whitney , Co-Founder, Grace Hopper Celebration
The Need for More Female STEM Leadership
Encouraging more women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and take on leadership roles is more than just the right thing to do. It can lead to better scientific and financial outcomes. With new technology and innovations changing our world and revolutionizing every aspect of our lives, "it is critical that women, 50% of the population, are at the table creating this technology and contributing their vision of what is possible,” says Telle Whitney, GWA’s Women in STEM Council member.
Another GWA Women in STEM Council member Vish Turaga adds, "Female leadership in STEM isn't just about achieving social justice, but also about harnessing the power of diversity to drive innovation [and] develop better solutions." In a male-dominated industry, many STEM inventions cater to and are designed from the perspective of men. By increasing diversity in the workforce, organizations can broaden their team's perspectives, knowledge, skill sets, and ideas, giving them a competitive edge and enhancing productivity. In short, the role of female STEM workers brings back a significant portion of society's unmet needs that were previously unconsidered.
What is Driving the Gender Gap in STEM
Understanding the root causes and implementing effective strategies to bridge this gap is crucial for unlocking the full potential of the STEM workforce. Today, women remain underrepresented in these fields, facing numerous barriers that hinder their full participation and advancement into leadership roles. Women make up just a third (34%) of the U.S. workforce in STEM, according to The National Science Foundation (2022). Similarly, a World Economic Forum report (2023) found that women comprise only 29.2% of the STEM workforce in 146 nations evaluated, compared to nearly 50 % of non-STEM occupations.
This gender gap reveals a stark social reality where deep cultural roots often make it difficult for women to enter STEM – from education to the workplace. It starts with the societal beliefs and biases in learning environments that are more encouraging for boys than girls in math and science. An example is when science and math are considered "male" fields and humanities and arts are "female" fields. A common implication of this thinking is that families have different expectations and make different efforts to cultivate an interest in STEM careers for sons and daughters.
Studies have shown how this way of thinking can (a) measurably lower girls' test performance and (b) subsequently lower their aspirations for science and engineering careers over time. In particular, self-assessment is one of the most significant barriers to girls pursuing STEM careers. In these learning environments, girls tend to assess their mathematical abilities lower than boys with similar mathematical achievements. They also hold themselves to a higher standard than boys, believing they must be exceptional to succeed in "male" fields. As a result, they start thinking that they are "not good" at math and science, thereby losing their motivation and reducing their efforts.
How the Gender Gap Continues from School to the Workplace
This bias often extends to the workplace, where women are not only underrepresented in STEM but also less likely than men to be in leadership positions. This is troubling as this gender gap will collectively hold us back. As GWA’s Women in STEM Council member Armen Orujyan describes, "A diverse STEM workforce leads to better breakthroughs, stronger economies, and a fairer future for all." In managerial roles, women occupy 28% of all chief executive officers but merely 6% in the large corporations of the S&P 500, according to the nonprofit, Catalyst. This is further heightened when we consider race, ethnicity, and country of origin along with gender. This disparity not only limits the potential of talented individuals but also hampers innovation and societal progress. "Having women leaders in STEM is important to provide role models for the next generation of girls thinking about how to make their impact on the world. Women bring diverse skills and ideas to the workplace, which is even more important in technology where change is the greatest," says Katherine Kwan, GWA’s Women in STEM Council member.
How Do We Change the Narrative?
While the main barriers that women encounter are cultural and will take time to overcome, two main types of assistance in both STEM and leadership are expected to come from the support of spouse/partner and encouragement from peers. Daisuke Kan, a Women in STEM council member, believes that "as leaders in STEM, we should pave the way for future generations to thrive beyond existing challenges created by disparity. Diversity, equity, and inclusion will bring empathy, compassion, and a width and depth of ideas in solving global and local societal problems where subjects include the marginalized."
As Telle Whitney described in the mission of the Anita Borg Institute of Women in Technology, “Ultimately, what we need is advancements not only for women in technical fields but also the organizations that employ them and the academic institutions training the next generation. Driven by the belief that we can accomplish more together, women - particularly women in STEM leadership – urgently must establish a global network to help create wider recognition of the role of women in STEM.”
Global Women Asia is proud to augment the vision of increased female leadership in STEM.
