*It is to be noted that Actua has an inclusive view of the word 'girl'. All-girl camps and clubs welcome non-binary, two-spirit, trans, genderqueer and any other youth that identify with these programs.

“Girls often underestimate their abilities and assume they lack what it takes to excel in science and engineering. They think those subjects are reserved for “gifted,” and often male, students.” 

- Jennifer Flannagan, Actua CEO 

For some, this quote may have you nodding your head, it resonates, it may even be a part of your personal experience. For others, it may be hard to hear, to accept, to really understand. After all, it’s 2024, and women have gained significant ground in representation in STEM. While it is true that important gains have been made, consider the facts that still shape the mindsets and realities of young girls considering a career in STEM.  

Despite important gains, girls continue to lack sufficient role models in the field of STEM. A quick Google Image search of “great scientists” is the first reminder that science remains mostly, a white man’s game. This lack of media representation not only creates a deficit of role models but it also serves as early messaging to young girls that “STEM is not for you”

What do you see in this image? 

The top results depict men predominantly. Similar results come up for search terms ‘great mathematicians’ or ‘great engineers’. This tells us that throughout history many of our notable historical contributing figures in STEM continue to be understood as men. While recognizing the contributions and talent of these figures, we must also reflect and consider how these people were not successful because of their innate gender, but rather their hard work, and the opportunities they had been provided because of their gender. 

We know that in fact there were and are many incredible women and trans people in STEM fields and that these ideas, voices, and contributions are important and necessary! This is a great reminder that the dominant ideas around who can be in STEM remain limited and problematic. It is essential in all programs to disrupt notions about who can be STEM leaders.

Even without equal representation in the field, worldwide girls and women are still choosing to study STEM. Research statistics are finding that girls are attracted to science at school, and that worldwide, they actually make up the slight majority of science graduates at the bachelor’s and master’s degree levels (although these higher levels of representation vary greatly by field of science and geographic region, in Canada these numbers are quite low). For example, there are many women in Health Sciences and very few women in Engineering and Computer Science.

(UNESCO, 2015)

We also notice a dramatic drop in numbers at the PhD level, and the discrepancy gets wider still at the researcher level. This tendency is referred to as the “leaky pipeline” of lost talent (UNESCO, 2015). And it is clear across global statistics on women researchers in STEM. 

 According to UNESCO, worldwide, 72% of scientific researchers are men. Moreover, only one in five countries have achieved what is referred to as “gender parity” with women making up 45%-55% of researchers (UNESCO, 2015). Even when women are employed, they often face significant glass ceilings. Bias about women's abilities, make it harder for them to access leadership roles and research funding (UNESCO, 2015). These barriers lead to a lack of opportunities for women in the field. Even for those who breakthrough, recognition is difficult to achieve. Consider the fact that the Nobel Prize in physics, chemistry or medicine has been awarded to only 24 women since 1903, compared to 611 men over the same period (NobelPrize.org, 2023). 

Underrepresentation, barriers in accessing employment and research opportunities, and a lack of recognition of achievement - this is the reality that young women and girls enter into when choosing an education and career path in STEM. For more information on the situation in Canada for women in STEM see Randstad's article “Women in STEM Careers - where we are in 2023". 

The efforts of many early intervention programs, such as those being delivered by Actua members, are working to change this reality. Over the past several years, we have seen increases in the number of women studying in some STEM fields. For instance, in biology and medicine, there are more women students than men (Arizona State University, 2014; Koerting, 2018). Necessary improvements have yet to be realized in other fields such as engineering, physical sciences and computer sciences. 

Here’s what we know based on our experience: 

“Given the right environment and positive role models, girls’ attitudes change drastically. They are amazed and proud of how much they already know. Instead of being intimidated, they are eager to learn more.”

Jennifer Flanagan, CEO Actua

Later in the module we will explore how Actua is working to address this underrepresentation through our National Girls Program and other important initiatives.