The importance of WiTWA being in the room from the beginning was critical, and it is heartening to see that a key focus of the talent, skills and workforce pillar will be directed to supporting under-represented groups, including women, people with disability and/or neurodiversity, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, to pursue STEM careers.
Implementation cannot come soon enough because the gender gap in maths and science is nowhere near good enough for Australia.
Girls have fallen behind boys in both maths and science subjects, making Australia’s gender gap one of the worst among 58 countries tested in the four-yearly Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study.
Countries from the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the Americas, all outperformed Australia, with the top-five list for maths dominated by our nearest neighbours Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong and Japan.
And, according to Glenn Fahey from the Centre for Independent Studies, “Australia is really performing at a C-plus when it comes to the international comparisons in maths.”
A C-plus? As the current Chair of WiTWA, I know we can do better.
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Technology and STEM careers present opportunities for girls and women that go beyond just increasing diversity in the sector.
In my experience, the language of tech is universal, and tech roles often have above-average salaries.
This enables women to not only achieve financial stability, it also enables women in carer roles to perform many tech roles from literally anywhere. Tech jobs are the very definition of remote careers working effectively.
Which makes me even more determined to increase the visibility of WiTWA and its members.
WiTWA has some of the most passionate and smart women in its volunteer group that you are ever likely to meet.
Cyber-security specialists, data analysts, project managers, tech lawyers, software developers, business analysts, security consultants, data scientists – you name it. If you can’t find a woman to fill a role, then you’re not looking hard enough.
I’m proud of the work that WiTWA is doing. Our Techtrails program is delivered to schools all over Western Australia; our STEMpower platform will soon be available Australia-wide for parents, career influencers and educators to learn about future jobs, and to find resources, events and role models; and our annual conference and awards celebrate the incredible women in industry in WA.
It seems more important than ever that we continue to work towards increasing the representation of girls and women in STEM.