As the world celebrate International Women's Day (8/3/2017), we are actually entering what is widely referred to as the 4th Industrial Revolution, an era where the development of new materials, breakthroughs in the field of genetic engineering and digital transformation are increasingly blurring the lines between the physical, biological and digital worlds. But where do women stand in this era?
According to the World Economic Forum study, women are somehow still disproportionately negatively impacted. One key reason is because that they are relatively under-represented when it comes to jobs which are expected to have the most growth in the next five years in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematical) professions.
Also, according to a list of the Most Promising Jobs of 2017 published by LinkedIn, the top 20 occupations require STEM skills; despite the opportunities, though, there remains a persistent gender gap. Globally, UNESCO estimates that only about 3 in 10 researchers in science, technology and innovation are female while LinkedIn estimated that women account for only about 2 in 10 tech jobs.
That sounds underwhelming, but here’s the good news, there are some misperceptions on that and here’s a quick run through:
- Myth #1: STEM education only matters at higher education levels.
- Myth #2: STEM skills are only useful for STEM jobs.
- Myth #3: STEM is boring and doesn’t involve creativity.
- Myth #4: Men are more likely to succeed in STEM fields than women.
There is no better time than on International Women’s Day to celebrate diversity and the incredible potential of women and girls to make an exponential impact in the world. Through initiatives that provide support and opportunities in computer science and technology, Microsoft hope to inspire girls with courage and a huge dose of creativity to go beyond prescribed boundaries to #MakeWhatsNext, today.
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