Latest news with #STEMEquityMonitor
Sydney Morning Herald
29-05-2025
- Science
- Sydney Morning Herald
We've failed girls in STEM, and we're all paying the price
Australia is facing a talent crisis we cannot afford to ignore, and the under-representation of women in high-demand roles is a key part of the problem. Nowhere is this more evident than in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) – not because women aren't stepping up, but because the system continues to shut them out conceptually. Time and again, the dominant narrative insists our future economic success depends on industries driven by cutting-edge technology, scientific breakthroughs, and continuous innovation. We persist with outdated structures, stereotypes, and educational models that leave women underrepresented and undervalued in the very sectors shaping our world. This is not a problem for women to fix; it is a collective, societal failure demanding urgent rethinking. At its heart, STEM has a branding and design problem, too often signalling to girls and young women that they do not belong before they even get a chance to step in. A 2023 report by Jobs and Skills Australia reveals that nearly half (47 per cent) of the occupations consistently in shortage are high-skill professional roles in health, engineering, ICT, and science – the very fields that should be driving national prosperity. Crucially, roles marked by strong gender imbalances are more likely to face chronic shortages than those with a balanced workforce; highlighting how failing to attract and retain women is not just an equity issue, but an economic one. We need politicians, policymakers, industry, and the collective force of women themselves to galvanise change and challenge the paradigm. According to the Australian Government's STEM Equity Monitor, women make up only 15 per cent of Australia's STEM workforce, with even starker gaps in engineering (12 per cent) and IT (14 per cent). And the problem starts early, with new research by Year13 showing nearly half (48 per cent) of young women aged 15–24 report no interest in pursuing STEM careers. Image is not the only problem; at the heart of women's under-representation in STEM is a deeper philosophical issue about what we value and how we define knowledge and progress.
The Age
29-05-2025
- Science
- The Age
We've failed girls in STEM, and we're all paying the price
Australia is facing a talent crisis we cannot afford to ignore, and the under-representation of women in high-demand roles is a key part of the problem. Nowhere is this more evident than in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) – not because women aren't stepping up, but because the system continues to shut them out conceptually. Time and again, the dominant narrative insists our future economic success depends on industries driven by cutting-edge technology, scientific breakthroughs, and continuous innovation. We persist with outdated structures, stereotypes, and educational models that leave women underrepresented and undervalued in the very sectors shaping our world. This is not a problem for women to fix; it is a collective, societal failure demanding urgent rethinking. At its heart, STEM has a branding and design problem, too often signalling to girls and young women that they do not belong before they even get a chance to step in. A 2023 report by Jobs and Skills Australia reveals that nearly half (47 per cent) of the occupations consistently in shortage are high-skill professional roles in health, engineering, ICT, and science – the very fields that should be driving national prosperity. Crucially, roles marked by strong gender imbalances are more likely to face chronic shortages than those with a balanced workforce; highlighting how failing to attract and retain women is not just an equity issue, but an economic one. We need politicians, policymakers, industry, and the collective force of women themselves to galvanise change and challenge the paradigm. According to the Australian Government's STEM Equity Monitor, women make up only 15 per cent of Australia's STEM workforce, with even starker gaps in engineering (12 per cent) and IT (14 per cent). And the problem starts early, with new research by Year13 showing nearly half (48 per cent) of young women aged 15–24 report no interest in pursuing STEM careers. Image is not the only problem; at the heart of women's under-representation in STEM is a deeper philosophical issue about what we value and how we define knowledge and progress.
