Dr Jennifer Kruger and Dr Kelly Burrowes
It was the 10th anniversary of UNESCO’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science this week, the theme being ‘Unpacking STEM Careers: Her Voice in Science’. It is 2025, but we still need a lot more of her voices in science.
In New Zealand, a 2021 survey found that 41.5 percent of year 12 girls study STEM subjects. While that’s not bad, there’s a substantial drop off at the tertiary level where only 19.8 percent of women continue in those fields. This decline continues into postgraduate education, with only 4.6 percent pursuing a masters degree in STEM and 2.4 percent a PhD. This decline continues into senior STEM positions in research institutions, the number of lecturers, associate professors, professors and so on.
This matters, including to people outside research institutions. Diverse teams – including a gender balance – drive and inform problem-solving and innovation. We know that companies with higher gender diversity perform better financially and are more innovative. A lack of female representation in STEM can also lead to gender-biased research as well as the products and services that can come out of that research.
