• The belief that STEM is predominantly male-dominated has led to the systematic exclusion of girls from early childhood education, limiting their opportunities and interest in pursuing careers in these fields. 

• Many girls who are interested in STEM face unsupportive academic and professional environments, resulting in isolation and lack of opportunities for career advancement. 

• Only about 29.2% of the science and engineering workforce is female, which not only limits diversity but also inhibits innovation and the development of solutions that meet the needs of society as a whole. 

• Nurturing girls’ and women’s interest in STEM from an early age is essential to building a solid foundation for future STEM careers. 

• Creating supportive academic and professional environments, along with women in prominent positions to serve as role models, is key to encouraging female participation in STEM. 

Women’s presence and contributions in scientific fields have been systematically overlooked and marginalised. Careers in the exact sciences – such as physics and chemistry – are often perceived as predominantly masculine domains, reinforcing the stereotype that girls are better suited for disciplines in the humanities, like literature and social sciences. This perception has resulted in a significant historical exclusion of women from science and mathematics, beginning as early as the education system, where girls are often encouraged to pursue less technical subjects.  

Over the past 50 years, girls and women have made significant advances in education and the workforce, particularly in areas such as health and business. However, this progress has been inconsistent, and male professionals continue to dominate many scientific and engineering disciplines, such as mathematics, computer science, and engineering.  

Despite efforts to promote gender equality, the representation of women in STEM – an acronym that encompasses Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – remains alarmingly low. Recent Global Gender Gap Research reveals that women make up only about 29.2% of the workforce in the dynamic fields of science and engineering. The stark underrepresentation underscores a pressing gender gap, which not only hinders diversity and innovation but also limits the potential for groundbreaking advancements in these essential domains. 

This ongoing disparity not only hinders the advancement of diversity in scientific innovation but also impacts the development of solutions that address the needs and perspectives of all members of society. Encouraging more girls and women to pursue careers in these fields is essential for fostering a more inclusive and effective scientific community. 

Why does STEM have such a gap? 

According to information over the past two decades, there’s no significant difference in STEM aptitudes between genders. However, social beliefs and expectations surrounding girls persist. The stereotype that boys are inherently better suited for the exact sciences is still widespread, leading to the systematic exclusion of girls from science and mathematics throughout their education from an early age. This exclusion limits their interests, preparation, and opportunities to pursue careers in these fields. 

Likewise, academic and professional environments also seem to contribute to female alienation: girls who are interested in STEM areas often graduate from high school prepared to pursue careers in that field, but few end up graduating from college with a degree in exact sciences; and, when they do, the professional space also ends up being challenging and unsupportive towards them, with reports of isolation, lack of support, encouragement and opportunities for career advancement being not uncommon. 

What can be done? 

Cultivating the interest of girls and women in the exact sciences is the main way to create a more egalitarian and diverse scientific future, which also makes it possible to significantly strengthen the workforce dedicated to STEM areas – which, for women, saw an increase of only 1.58% in workers between 2015 and 2023 – which would open up a range of possibilities to maximise innovation, creativity and competitiveness in these areas, creating favourable environments for the development not only of products that meet the general needs of the male and female public but also expanding the strength of research dedicated to discovering cures for diseases, combating global warming, developing renewable energies and others. Having a more diverse workforce can lead to better-designed scientific and technological products, services, and solutions that better represent all users. 

Therefore, nurturing incentives and opportunities for girls and women to enter STEM must be a progressive movement, encompassing all areas and influential environments. Beliefs and stereotypes can be discouraged and changed over the years, and educators and caregivers can – and should – introduce girls to the world of possibilities that lie in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, and above all, encourage them to follow their interests and develop them in conjunction with their abilities. 

In addition to the smaller sphere of socialisation, it is also necessary to create environments that are more conducive to the participation of women in the exact sciences, both at work and academically, including the creation of programs to encourage and include women and greater recruitment and search for students and professionals in these areas, with equal and transparent criteria for achieving success.