Report addresses lack of women in STEM

Women make up just 13 per cent of employees in STEM industries and almost a third of these are unhappy in their current roles, with engineering and technology the worst hit, according to a survey for Forward Ladies.

The “Women in STEM; Bridging the Gender Gap in STEM Report” is based on a survey of 1,299 men and women and aims to gain an insight into the experiences of STEM employees working in the sectors, how businesses can improve diversity and inclusion and what has been successful so far.

The report says there is a major skills crisis in STEM sectors which is estimated to cost the UK economy up to £27bn a year. It found word of mouth recruitment practices were still prevailing and acting as a barrier to diversity.  It also found a lack of role models that are inspiring women into STEM, concerns about both a gender and ethnicity-based pay gap and huge potential for upskilling to address gaps in women working in technical roles and a bias in those who have access to development schemes.

Griselda Togobo, managing director of Forward Ladies, said: “Companies seem to be working to change the lack of diversity within the sector yet the numbers have remained largely unchanged for the past few years. I felt it was time to hear from the women themselves, to understand the challenges they currently faced and gain insight that can help employers bridge the gender gap in the sector.”

The report will be formally launched and discussed at a STEM Report Roundtable on 10 November 2017, to be held at Sky Betting & Gaming, Leeds.

For the full report, click here.

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