STEM Women Releases 2024 Whitepaper Exploring Gender Imbalance in STEM

STEM Women has announced the release of its 2024 whitepaper titled “Understanding the Gender Imbalance in STEM.”

This comprehensive report delves into the experiences and perceptions of female and non-binary STEM graduates, offering critical insights into the challenges and expectations they face as they enter the workforce.

Over the past four years, STEM Women has collected data from more than 1,200 attendees, providing a robust foundation for this whitepaper.

The 2024 whitepaper offers an in-depth analysis of several key areas, including graduates’ career expectations, perceived barriers to success, and their outlook on the future of the STEM workforce. Currently, women make up just 26% of the STEM workforce in the UK, a statistic that underscores the importance of this report.

Key Findings

• Support for STEM ambitions: 80% of respondents reported being encouraged to pursue studies and careers in STEM, with the highest levels of support coming from those who attended single-sex schools.
• Lasting impact of the pandemic: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to influence career decisions, with 65% of respondents stating it has affected their career paths in STEM.
• Confidence Levels: Contrary to the stereotype that women lack confidence in their professional abilities, the survey found high levels of confidence and optimism among female STEM students and graduates.
• Future outlook: Despite a reported decline in the number of women working in STEM, 52% of respondents believe that there will be significant positive changes in gender representation in STEM fields over the next decade.

The report also highlights the importance of diversity and inclusion, noting that many prospective hires expect to see equal gender representation in the workplace and may reject job offers from companies that do not demonstrate a commitment to equality. Over half of the respondents from 2019 to 2023 indicated that a company’s gender balance would influence their decision to accept a job offer.

Diversity and Inclusion

The whitepaper reveals that students and graduates are knowledgeable and informed about diversity and inclusion when considering potential employers. Respondents wanted to see workplaces that foster a genuine sense of belonging and community, which is crucial for their professional development, particularly in the era of hybrid work.

Future of the STEM Workforce

Respondents demonstrated optimism towards the future representation of women in STEM fields, and their own future careers. This calls for educational and business leaders to step up and ensure that this optimism and confidence aligns with women’s experiences after graduation.

Get Your Copy

The full 2024 whitepaper is available to download here.

About STEM Women

Since 2018, STEM Women has hosted over 90 graduate career events across the UK, Europe, and Australia. These events are aimed at university students and recent graduates who identify as women or non-binary and are studying STEM-related subjects, creating a more diverse and inclusive STEM workforce by inspiring underrepresented groups to pursue careers in STEM-related fields.

Get Involved

In 2024, STEM Women are host a series of recruitment and networking events for STEM students and graduates across the UK, Ireland and Amsterdam. Find full event details at www.stemwomen.com/events.

Employers interested in exhibiting at these events, contact Lauren Jenkins laurenj@stemwomen.com