Women’s participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is slowly increasing, both in the workforce and universities, according to the 2021 edition of the Australian Government’s STEM Equity Monitor.

The new data shows an increase in women working in STEM-qualified industries, with women now comprising 28 per cent of workers – up from 24 per cent in 2016.

Similarly, the proportion of women studying STEM reached the highest proportion since at least 2015, with women making up 36 per cent of Australian university STEM enrolments in 2019.

However, it also reveals only 10 per cent of women with a STEM qualification continue to work in the field.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Christian Porter (pictured) said while the signs were encouraging, the data shows there was clearly still significant work to be done.

“Australian industry and innovation rely on a flourishing STEM workforce, which is why the Australian Government is committed to further increasing women’s participation and creating more opportunities to thrive in the sector,” Minister Porter said.

“To date the Australian Government has committed more than $100 million in funding to increasing women’s participation in STEM and entrepreneurship, through activities such as the Women in STEM Ambassador initiative, the Girls in STEM Toolkit, and the Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship grants.

“The STEM Equity Monitor allows us to measure and understand the impact of our investments, and make sure we’re travelling in the right direction to achieve gender equity across STEM in the long term.

“These results from the STEM Equity Monitor, another year on, give us a tool to see trends and measure if our programs are working in bringing more women into STEM study and the STEM workforce.”

The STEM Equity Monitor assesses factors such as parental perspectives and expectations during the school years, tertiary education enrolments, graduate outcomes and workforce participation data.

What the STEM equity monitor revealed

Among the findings were that while 11,000 more women enrolled in university STEM courses between 2015-19, increasing the proportion of enrolments slightly to 36 per cent, vocational education enrolments dived from 93,000 in 2015 to 25,000 in 2019.

Associate Professor Michael Dockery, a researcher with the Bankwest-Curtin Economics Centre told the Australian Financial Review that the argument that women needed to go into STEM because that’s where the jobs of the future lie was wearing thin,

Recent modelling by his team found that demand for STEM skills were not growing as fast as expected, demand for the arts and humanities were booming as was demand for female-dominated occupations in the services sector.

“It sounds odd to say what job is a male or a female’s job, but occupational segregation has become really entrenched. The jobs that were female-dominated 10 years ago still are and women are benefiting from being over-represented in service industries,” Dr Dockery said.

The report shows outcomes for women who receive a vocational qualification are particularly poor. In occupations where the majority of the workforce is VET STEM-qualified.

Yet despite women being twice as likely as men to go on to get additional qualifications, those women who did were less likely to be employed in a STEM job and earned less than women who didn’t get an extra qualification.

First launched in March 2020 as part of the Morrison Government’s Advancing Women in STEM 2020 Action Plan, the STEM Equity Monitor brings together multiple data sets from across government to form a comprehensive and interactive view of girls’ and women’s participation across STEM, from primary school through to the workforce.

Updates will be released annually for a ten year period until 2029, alongside additional commissioned data reports.

The 2021 STEM Equity Monitor report and interactive data sets are available at www.industry.gov.au/stemequitymonitor.

AREEA’s Bright Future STEM program

To assist build a pipeline of skills and encourage more students to take up STEM careers, AREEA delivers the national, school-based Bright Future STEM program.

Female role models play a critical role in the program to help breakdown gender stereotypes and inspire schoolgirls to follow a passion for STEM.

The female role models broke down and dispelled many outdated perceptions of the industry – including gender participation – and ignited a passion for STEM in both girls and boys, while empowering them to pursue STEM studies and take advantage of the many opportunities for jobs of the future.

The Bright Future STEM program is a national program that engages 9 -12 year old girls and boys in STEM energy and resource industry experiences. The program provides exposure to female STEM professionals, encourages an interest in STEM careers and gives insights into future STEM employment in the Australian resources and energy industry.

AREEA encourages members to learn how they can get involved. If your company is interested in participating in the program, or would like sessions conducted in your operating region/s, AREEA would love to hear from you.

For more information, or if your school or organisation would like to be a part of the Bright Future STEM Program please contact us on (07) 3210 0313 or [email protected].

For more information, or if your school or organisation would like to be a part of the Bright Future STEM Program please contact us on (07) 3210 0313 or [email protected].