Breaking Down Barriers: Increasing the Participation of Women & Girls in STEM

In recent years, there has been an explosion of initiatives at all levels designed to increase women and girls participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, also known as STEM. In the Greater Toronto Area alone, there are dozens of organizations that are dedicated to encouraging girls and women to pursue STEM fields like coding. But what makes STEM special?

Why Getting Women into STEM Matters

For one, expanding the representation of women and girls in STEM is directly tied to the economic and social empowerment of women and girls.

• Increasing women’s representation in STEM is critical to their economic empowerment since careers in these fields tend to be better paid and more secure. 

• To achieve gender parity and ensure women have freedom of choice, their job opportunities should not be limited by gender roles and stereotypes surrounding women’s intellectual ability.

When women began joining the labour market in droves after the Second World War, their job opportunities were often relegated to caretaking or administrative roles, such as secretaries, nurses, and teachers. These jobs limited women’s earning potential and sustained the gender pay gap.

Since then, job opportunities for women have expanded beyond traditionally feminine roles to include business, law, healthcare, and technology. Yet, persistent gaps in the representation of women in these fields remain. According to the Government of Canada, less than 25% of the STEM workforce in Canada is women.

How Can We Encourage Women to Pursue STEM?

One way to encourage more women to pursue STEM pathways is by building interest in STEM subjects from a young age. This makes girls more likely to make choices that allow them to get the education and qualifications they need to pursue a career in STEM. 

Take Rochelle for example. 

At 10 years old, Rochelle was exposed to Science, Math, Technology, Engineering, and Math concepts in a fun, interactive way. By the time she gets to high school, Rochelle is more likely than other girls who weren’t exposed to STEM in childhood to choose courses like Chemistry, Physics, and Computer Science that will allow her to pursue the necessary post-secondary education to prepare her for a career in STEM. 

Not only does introducing girls to STEM young build appreciation and interest in these subjects, it can also be a way to circumvent the lack of confidence that prevents girls from seeing themselves in these fields. According to findings from a 1996 U.S. study, girls in middle school started to lose self-confidence and had limiting thoughts about their intelligence compared to men.

By providing girls as young as 7 with opportunities, like the Jean Augustine Centre's Let's Experiment program and upcoming Educate to Innovate: STEM Conference, to learn and explore science, technology, engineering, and math concepts, the more likely they are to harness their full potential and believe in a future of unlimited possibilities.