By Awa Sowe
The future of our continent depends upon the full utilisation of the human capital available to us; and women account for half of its population. Throughout the world, and particularly in Africa, there is a stark under-representation of women in Science, Technology, and Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professions.
The leaky pipeline of women and girls begins as they start and progress through their schooling and enter into science and technology-based careers. According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimates, only 30% of researchers in sub-Saharan Africa are women, with the gender gap especially apparent in disciplines such as mathematics, engineering and computer science. Studies also indicate that women in STEM are paid less, publish less and do not progress as far in their careers compared to their male counterparts. This is a loss for the science, technology and innovation field and for society. To advance as a continent, we must increase the enrollment of women and girls in STEM and scale approaches to enhance their attraction to and retention in the sector.
This inequality begins in schools, where girls may be diverted away from science and math subjects before it spills into the real world to courses that are regarded as feminine.
One could understand the two predominant stereotypes reinforced over the years were that ‘boys are better at math and science than girls’ and ‘science and engineering careers are masculine domains’. Such explicit gender stereotypes that communicate that STEM studies and careers are male-dominated, negatively affect girls’ interest, engagement and achievement in these areas.
Science, technology and innovation are pegged to be key drivers of Africa’s industrialisation. But as new roles in STEM fields continue to outpace the rate at which women are currently entering those jobs, women are at risk of losing out on today’s and tomorrow’s best job opportunities.
To explore this phenomenon further in our national context, we caught up with Nyima Jobarteh, an Electrical Engineer, who also doubles as the Public Relations Officer for Women in Science Technology Engineering and Maths (WiSTEM). She began by crediting her being an engineer to her dad, who sent her to Botrop Technical Junior Secondary School; as well as stating her motivation to venture into STEM.
Ms Jobarteh said when she attended home economics class she found it so boring and uninteresting that she lied on the desk the whole time without understanding anything. The teacher wouldn’t have that, so she sent her out of the class. “I went in for metal work class and fell in love with the subject. I decided to do both metal work and wood work at this stage as I planned to be an engineer,” she explained.
She went on to emphasise the importance of gender equity in STEM, highlighting some of the reasons: “a more equal playing field could help narrow the male-female skills gap, increase employment and productivity of women, reduce occupational segregation”.
The young engineer mentioned that empowering more women in STEM also has the potential to upset the cycle of poverty in underserved communities, in which girls often do not have access to the same opportunities as men.
More crucially, she added that a broad and diverse workforce is also needed to tackle the stereotype that STEM is a male-dominated field. The field, she pointed out, comes with a lot of obstacles “as male colleagues who you have the same qualifications with or more can never look at you as they will look at their male counterparts. You have to constantly prove yourself out there”.
She however conceded that it is such a demanding field. “Society needs to understand that as career women we are fully engaged and it takes a lot of efforts to have a balance between home and career,” admonished.
Ms Jobarteh posited that girls and women’s achievements in STEM are shaped by the environment around them reports demonstrates the effects of societal beliefs and the learning environment on girls’ achievements and interest in science and math.
“By creating a “growth mindset” environment, teachers and parents can encourage girls’ achievement and interest in math and science”.
Research profiled that girls assess their mathematical abilities lower than boys with similar mathematical achievements. At the same time, girls hold themselves to a higher standard than boys do in subjects like math, believing that they have to be exceptional to succeed in “male” fields.
The young STEM enthusiast further explained that Women in Stem Gambia is a network of Gambian women in STEM professionals with the mission to encourage girls to study and practice STEM and to provide mentorship and sisterhood network to young women STEM professionals.
“There are fewer women STEM professionals because of stereotype and lack of role models. We want to change this narrative because STEM contributes immensely to our advancement as a society, which young girls and women have a role to play,” she posited.
Engineering and computer science are the two most lucrative STEM fields which remain heavily male dominated. Only 21% of engineering majors and 19% of computer science majors are women.
In a rapidly changing world where vast technological advancements are announced almost daily, revolution characterized by extraordinary technology and a digital transition, we must ensure that we are moving forward in an integrated and inclusive way. Women must be at the forefront of this revolution and an emphasis on equality is necessary for success of this revolution.
WiSTEM
WiSTEM aims to promote the study and practice of STEM among girls in The Gambia, to provide mentorship and career coaching for students (especially female students) and fresh graduates; organise outreach programmes in secondary schools, tertiary institutions and universities , meeting parents at community level to discuss the importance of STEM and encourage them to motivate their children to choose the STEM field, to organise STEM related voluntary services to the community, to organise networking events, seminars and conference as well as organize award nights.
The WiSTEM PRO encouraged girls and women out there to never limit themselves, noting that the next generation of women to enter into STEM fields must be presented with role models who they can look up to for inspiration and they must be provided with all the tools needed to succeed in their chosen endeavours. “Women are no less capable than men in science, technology, engineering, or maths but external factors are leading to women being excluded and a reinforced gender gap,” she stressed.
“You can achieve anything once you set your mind to it. Join us into the STEM fields,develop your career and contribute to the scientific and technological advancement of our dear Gambia.”
According to the World Economic Forum the fourth industrial revolution will present a total gain of two million jobs in STEM-related fields (that women are particularly at risk of losing out on) and a loss of 4.7 million jobs concentrated in routine white collar office functions, such as office and administrative roles (predominantly held by women). There is therefore an urgent economic incentive to include women more fully into the science and technology workforce and to skill our young girls for a future that is quickly catching up with us. This is no longer perceived as a social issue alone, but also as a business issue -costing women, companies and ultimately, entire economies. Addressing these gaps will ultimately be a determinant of Africa’s future economic prospects.