Celine Bremaud, Microsft MEA VP of Sales Marketing and Operations
By: Celine Bremaud
It will take another 217 years to close the economic gender gap.
This is according to the latest Global Gender Gap Report released by the World Economic Forum which found that globally, gender parity is shifting into reverse for the first time since it was first measured in 2006.
In addition, while more women are entering the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce than ever before, women are still significantly under-represented in STEM occupations in many countries. In fact, a recent UNESCO study found that women make up only 15-25 percent of the STEM workforce.
And this gap is widening.
Why does this matter?
Advances in STEM have improved many aspects of life. STEM underpins the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and STEM education provides learners with the skills required for an inclusive society.
Excluding women from STEM fields will be a devastating loss for all, particularly at a time when diversity is so critical in building the right skills to empower an AI-enabled future for humanity.
The benefits of having more women in STEM are numerous. Diversity enhances creativity, helping reduce errors and improving the design of products and services. A lack of women in STEM means we are lacking the perspectives of half the world’s population.
Secondly, as the world transitions to a digital economy, many countries lack enough skilled people to fill critical jobs in the technology sector. More women in STEM can help bridge this gap, allowing the workforce to access a treasure trove of untapped potential – and boosting the region’s gender equality in the process.
Factors that hinder girls in STEM
In Africa, only 30 percent of professionals in the sciences are women. Many young women in Africa are also at a disadvantage because of a number of socio-economic and cultural obstacles. These include poverty, early marriage, and social biases that value boys’ education more. Furthermore, the overall quality of education remains a challenge for many African countries and does not always respond to girls’ learning needs.
However, the Middle East paints a different picture. Women in the Arab world now earn more science degrees than women in the United States. According to UNESCO, higher numbers of female students are also enrolled in engineering, manufacturing and construction in the Arab states compared to other regions.
Given these encouraging figures, why aren’t there more Arab women scientists and engineers in the labour force?
There are multiple and overlapping factors which influence girls’ and women’s participation, achievement and progression in STEM, all of which interact in complex ways.
For example, biological and psychological factors may influence individuals’ attitudes towards STEM. According to UNESCO, self-selection bias is a major reason for girls opting out of STEM. This ‘choice’ is influenced by stereotyped ideas about gender roles.
From a family perspective, parental beliefs and expectations, socio-economic status, and other household factors may come into play. And, at a school level for example, factors within the learning environment play a role in shaping young girls feelings towards STEM.
STEM(ming) the gap
The gender gap is not a new phenomenon. There have been many programmes implemented to overcome the biases that exist. However there is no one-size-fits-all solution and we need to understand the drivers in order to reverse these trends.
We need a holistic approach that encourages interest from the early years of development, combats stereotypes, and trains teachers to inspire girls to pursue STEM careers. We need to develop curricula that are gender-sensitive, and focus on mentoring young women to adopt different mind-sets.
At Microsoft, we start early in the pipeline by sparking girls’ interest in technology. For example, our Digital Skills programs seek to ensure that all youth have the opportunity to learn computer science through various partnerships.
In celebration of International Women’s Day this year, Microsoft launched an awareness campaign covering 17 countries in the Middle East and Africa to encourage young women to pursue careers in STEM. The campaign, which aims to upskill over 300 000 young girls and reach 23 million young women and parents, will address the stereotypes and misconceptions that discourage women from pursuing careers in STEM. The campaign has been running from International Women’s Day on 8 March and will end on the International Day for Girls in ICT on 26 April 2018.
Through integrated initiatives like this one, as well as many others such as the recent announcement that men and women in the UAE will be equally paid, we will move the region towards gender equality both in education and in the workplace. We want to create a future where women and men, girls and boys can participate fully, develop meaningfully, and create a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable world.
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