Closing the Gender Gap Within STEM

Changing the Scene

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are widely regarded as being critical to the global economy. Developing and expanding the STEM workforce is a key issue for industry leaders, government and educators because as these fields grow and become more integral to society, we need the insight of individuals who are impacted by the designs and that includes both men and women. Despite the monumental progress that girls and women have made within education and in the workforce during the past 50 years, progress has been uneven – and certain scientific and engineering disciplines remain overwhelmingly male.

According to aauw.org, an organization that provides the foundation and vision to advance gender equality for women and girls, women make up only 28% of the workforce in STEM. Men vastly outnumber women in majoring in most STEM fields in college. The gender gaps are particularly high in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paid jobs of the future, like computer science and engineering.

Gender diversity may broaden the perspectives, viewpoints, questions and areas that are explored by scientists, and therefore allow greater potential for new discoveries.

Women make significant contributions to the fields of engineering and computing, yet they are a distinct minority within these fields. Research suggests that stereotypes and biases lie at the core of the different challenges facing women in STEM. Education and environments within the workplace are dissuading women who might otherwise succeed in these fields. Expanding women’s representation in STEM will require effort by employers, policy makers, educational institutions and individuals to create spaces that are welcoming for women. We cannot achieve gender diversity unless we work for it, and at Microchip Technology Inc., we believe it is worth the work.

How Microchip Supports Female Engineers

One of our guiding values states that employees are our greatest strength. Promoting employee diversity and empowering female students within STEM is an example of how we live and breathe our guiding values.

In September, Microchip Technology in Norway arranged an event called “CodeHub” together with a local network of female students within the fields of STEM called Ada network. The ultimate goal of the network is to encourage more girls to complete their education within STEM and to choose careers within these fields. At Microchip we understand how sharing our knowledge and having our own employees teaching young adults about technology and engineering can lead to lasting impressions. During the event, the 40 female students got an AVR microcontroller development kit to solve different tasks they were given. They also did some live coding together with our Microchip employees and learned about microcontrollers while eating hot enchiladas. Following the event, the students registered for speed interviews for our intern and summer intern positions. Hopefully we will see many of them as colleagues in the future.

Supporting diversity in tech is key to innovation. See how Microchip Makes fosters a collaborative and inclusive maker community.

These events are a great way to create awareness and support young women entering the fields of STEM. However, it is important to highlight that if we want to increase the number of women in STEM, we must do more than just single events. It is about creating a whole culture for a more welcoming environment towards females within the industry. Tipping the scale toward a more gender diverse talent pool requires more than just recruitment efforts – it involves creating an environment that facilitates greater engagement and retention of females in STEM. From an employer’s perspective that includes having fair hiring practices, implementing policies for inclusion, raising awareness, prioritizing the elimination of biases and barriers and finally shattering the glass ceiling to promote top talent. This requires a conscious effort from each and every employer within the fields of STEM, with every employer taking responsibility to encourage an organizational environment welcoming for women.

The Reward

The benefits of increasing girls’ participation within STEM are mutually beneficial for females and for the STEM fields. Every person on this planet holds a different set of perspectives, experiences and ways of identifying solutions to different problems. All humans have different views of how the world works – and the more ways we can perceive a problem, the higher the likelihood that we can solve it. Gender diversity is critical for our future, not only for Microchip Technology Inc. - but for the future development of our industry as a whole.