Engineers of the Future: Strategy to Cultivate Female Talent that Opens Paths in STEM

Abstract

We live in a rapidly changing world where the economy is set to be dominated by the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) industries at the heart of technology advancements, such as engineering and computer science. In Europe, women accounted for almost one-third of the total number of people employed in the high-technology sectors in 2022. Globally, it is estimated that only 20% of engineering graduates are women. Eliminating stereotypical prejudices in engineering and supporting young girls who wish to study and work in STEM fields are key factors for the future. There are some “unconscious bias" that deters girls from pursuing STEM studies. For example, many young women, as well as their families and teachers, consider engineering to be more typical of men than women since they consider it hard and dirty. In fact, it is associated with heavy machinery that implies a need for physical strength and resistance. And, what's worse, many girls consider that it is not really useful to society. Girls at home and at school are less likely than their brothers to be encouraged to become an engineer, unless there is a significant connection in their immediate family or social group. Therefore, it is important to tackle bias among girls’ families and communities and removing stigma surrounding women in STEM. The Higher Polytechnic School at the University of Alicante (Spain) has developed a program focused on overcoming barriers to STEM degrees for girls. The “Quiero Ser Ingeniera” program has already held three editions and has the support of the university and external companies. It has two main activities: a presentation in the university auditorium attended about a thousand students (15-16 years old) and four different thematic campus attended by around a hundred girls interested in STEM degrees. In the first conference, five female engineers from different disciplines and recognized prestige participate to break down stereotypes: they describe their careers, their hobbies and their daily life at work in order to provide a closer idea of what an engineer is. Furthermore, the same day, there is an exhibition were students and teachers show the usefulness of the different branches of engineering in an entertaining and attractive form. Therefore, this activity pursues two purposes: providing positive references to those present that help eliminate gender stereotypes among students and teachers; and improve social perception of STEM degrees. In the second phase of the project, the thematic campus, some girls have the possibility of attend the university for three days to develop different engineering activities. In this way they prove themselves that they are capable of developing these projects, discovering new interests or relating engineering with those they already have. During those days they have the possibility of interacting in a relaxed atmosphere with engineers and engineering students. In fact, the last day, final year students present their applied projects from different engineering disciplines with a marked social nature to give the students closer references. All project information is collected on the following website: https://eps.ua.es/es/quieroseringeniera/quiero-ser-ingeniera-universidad-de-alicante.html.