In recent years we’ve seen significant progress in diversity across the science sector. But it’s no secret that women are still disproportionately underrepresented in all scientific professions with just over 24% of women making up the UK’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce. Although the proportion of female graduates with core STEM degrees is continuously rising, the number of female students studying core STEM subjects is only 35%.
However, on the bright side, new research shows that for the first time, the percentage of women serving on the boards of Britain’s FTSE 350 companies has surpassed 40%, with only 10% of those FTSE companies having an all-male board. While within the UK’s top STEM companies, women in board-level roles has more than doubled in ten years, from 12.5% in 2010 to 30% in 2020.
It is clear that the UK is focusing on encouraging more women into STEM careers. Recently a new Government-backed initiative was announced to help people, particularly women, back into STEM-based careers. The scheme aims to support those who took extended career breaks to care for others and provide them with the skills they need to be successful in the workplace.
Despite this, it is evident that there is still more to be done in order to achieve full inclusivity. During this blog, we will discuss the causes of why women are underrepresented in science and how businesses can improve this through recruitment and culture.
Where does the gender gap begin?
When you think of a scientist, what image comes to mind? Is it a white, middle-aged “nerdy” man with large, rimmed glasses? How many of you thought of a woman? The lack of representation of women in science is often rooted in long standing gender stereotypes and a lack of positive role models from popular culture, education and peer and family influence. More often than not, males are cast to play scientists in film and television, and children are likely taught about male scientists in school rather than female pioneers, we can agree this has improved over the years, but we can still make improvements to fully remove these biases.
According to educational psychology studies, female students face long-standing biases about their capability for maths and science when they are in secondary school, which is where the STEM gap allegedly starts. This may significantly influence a female’s decision to seek a career in the field.
So, how can STEM businesses be more inclusive?
Take a step back and look at your recruitment procedure – does it need improving?
Are there barriers for women in your recruitment process? Are you actively seeking out a diverse workforce? Take the time to review your recruitment process. Ensure it speaks to a diverse group of people and procedures are in place to remove any unconscious bias. One example of this could be anonymous or “name blind” job applications.
Establish and build an inclusive environment
Creating a diverse and inclusive culture should be a top priority for the science and wider STEM industry, as well as, actively encouraging staff to contribute to reaching this vision. Developing a policy which includes clear strategies, goals and objectives for achieving inclusivity is key and will help you to attract and retain the best talent. This should also include ways to measure the effectiveness of the changes implemented and it should be communicated with leadership and employees to ensure full transparency and participation – it’s the best way to achieve success! You may be wondering what you could include in this policy, lucky enough we’ve put together a few ideas:
- Use inclusive language – The Power of Inclusive Language by Deloitte offers some excellent pointers and advice.
- Encourage and implement diversity and inclusion at the top (remove the glass ceiling!) – Empower women with leadership positions and assist them in finding career advancement possibilities.
- Offer training and educate your workforce on the benefits of diversity. Never assume that managers are aware of the value of diversity in the workplace. Give them the knowledge and abilities needed to develop a diverse team. Making time for training is a fantastic first move!
Provide flexible working opportunities if possible
Everybody, but particularly women, can benefit from effective flexible working, paid family leave and childcare assistance. If it is possible, implement flexible working into your culture and ensure this is echoed in your recruitment process. Many women find it difficult to return to full-time work after maternity leave but flexible working arrangements, paid family leave and childcare assistance can all aid in encouraging women back into science careers and help to improve the representation of women in the field.
Here at Remarkable Jobs, we support STEM businesses in recruitment. So, if you’re looking for support in improving diversity within your recruitment get in touch with our specialist team of recruiters on info@remarkable-jobs.co.uk or register your latest job vacancies here: https://remarkable-jobs.com/register-your-vacancy/
