Are you an employer working in the STEM fields? If so, you likely have a shortage of female representation within your company or department.
STEM (or STEMM if you include the field of Medicine) is an umbrella term for the subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Although they are distinct disciplines, they are all also related.
And in the fields that this umbrella term refers to, there is a distinct shortage of female representation. Both in studying and in the workplace.
According to the World Economic Forum, women make up just 28 per cent of the global STEM workforce and only 22 per cent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) professionals.
This must be addressed if we are to avoid a situation whereby the deficit is restricting innovation and economic growth.
The WEF article goes on to state that companies with gender diverse teams are both more productive and more profitable. Those companies where female representation exceeds 30 per cent are significantly more likely to financially outperform those with less and they are more innovative.
The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields are crucial to the UK’s economic growth and innovation. However, women remain underrepresented in these sectors.
In 2025, Minister of State in the Department for Education, Baroness Smith of Malvern said women now make about 24 per cent of the STEM workforce in the UK, surpassing 1 million for the first time.
Whilst this is an improving situation with universities playing a key role in driving the change with mentorship programmes and other schemes, these numbers are still too low – engineering and research in particular being two areas where there is stark underrepresentation.
There are various reasons why women feel discouraged from entering and remaining in STEM careers. But, to bridge the gender gap in STEM, employers need to look at strategies that will encourage women to become a part of the team – and remain a part of the team.
What Are The Challenges Faced By Women In STEM?
Before identifying solutions, it is essential to understand the key challenges faced by women in STEM. These include:
Gender Bias and Stereotypes
The House of Lords is to hold a debate in March 2025 for International Women’s Day which will look at women’s participation and leadership in STEM careers.
The report from the House of Commons Science & Technology Committee states that women often encounter implicit and explicit biases that question their competence and suitability for technical roles. Women are seen as competent fixers whilst men with similar or lesser levels of experience are seen as visionaries.
Lack of Female Role Models In STEM
Females are more likely to study and work in STEM careers if there are other female role models for them to look up to and be inspired by.
Whilst those female role models are there, the STEM world isn’t crowded with them and those that are visionaries or highly successful need to be made more visible to young females.
The scarcity of women in leadership positions makes it harder for young women to see a future in STEM. There’s an assumption that they will be working in a male-dominated world and that isn’t appealing to many young women embarking on their careers.
Workplace Culture
A male-dominated work environment can sometimes feel unwelcoming. This is not just true of workplaces but also of classrooms.
Whilst the number of females studying STEM subjects is slowly increasing – thanks to school and higher education schemes – many females are put off the idea of studying these subjects because the idea of being one of the only girls in the class doesn’t appeal to them.
Work-Life Balance
Many women struggle with balancing career aspirations with family responsibilities due to inflexible work policies.
According to the Commons Committee report, women still tend to be the primary carers when it comes to starting families.
Early STEM careers are characterised by short term contracts and this means a lack of security right at the time when women may be consşdering starting a family. This means they are more likely than men to leave a STEM career at this stage.
Strategies To Attract Women To STEM Careers In 2025
So, how can employers and others work to ensure more young women and girls are studying – and eventually working in – STEM subjects and careers in 2025?
Promote STEM Education Among Girls
Encouraging girls to pursue STEM subjects from an early age is essential.
Employers can collaborate with schools and universities to:
- Sponsor STEM outreach programs and competitions for young girls.
- Collaborate with schools to create programmes where girls’ participation in STEM subjects is encouraged from a young age. This can help to build a more diverse STEM workforce in the future where gender barriers are broken down.
- Offer mentorship opportunities where female employees interact with students. This can demonstrate to students that women do have careers in STEM and they won’t be the only ones in the workplace. It also gives the opportunity for young female students to discuss any worries or lack of confidence with those already in their career.
- Provide scholarships and internships to women pursuing STEM degrees.
- Be STEM ambassadors. The UK government has a STEM Ambassadors Programme which promotes the options available for technical and academic routes into STEM for young people and the subsequent career pathways they can take. These are volunteer positions with over 28,000 registered volunteers nationwide, 48 per cent of which are women.
Implement Inclusive Recruitment Practices
To attract more women, recruitment strategies should be designed to eliminate bias. This can be achieved through:
- Using gender-neutral job descriptions to avoid discouraging female applicants. Take a look at your job ad and job descriptions. Perhaps ask females in the workplace if there is any wording that might put them off applying for a STEM vacancy in your company.
- Ensuring diverse hiring panels to create an unbiased selection process. We have written in the past about unconscious bias in the recruitment process. Not just for STEM careers but for any role. Having a diverse panel provides more opportunity for different viewpoints and perspectives.
- Actively working with women’s STEM networks and professional groups.
- Highlighting family-friendly policies and options for any flexible working arrangements in job adverts. Starting a family is one area that has been identified as being part of the ‘leaky pipeline’ problem with women more likely to leave a STEM career than men to start a family. Family friendly policies can encourage young women to apply for career vacancies and to also remain in that career after starting a family.
Maternity leave, any childcare support you can offer and opportunities for remote work – whether that be some or all of the time – all demonstrate to potential female job applicants that you are a family friendly employer.
Strategies That Employers Can Adopt To Retain Women in STEM Careers
We have already stated that starting a family has been identified as being part of the ‘leaky pipeline’ problem when it comes to young women staying in STEM careers.
There are many areas of the ‘leaky pipeline’ that need to be fixed if young women are going to pursue – and remain in – a STEM career. As an employer, you can help to mend at least some of these leaks.
Foster an Inclusive Workplace Culture
Creating a culture where women feel valued and included in the STEM workplace is crucial. Companies can:
- Create a workplace culture where female employees feel valued and feel they can thrive.
- Develop anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies with clear enforcement mechanisms and make sure these are visible and an active part of the workplace culture.
- Offer unconscious bias training for all employees.
- Establish Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for women to provide networking and support opportunities. Employee Resource Groups are employee-led groups that encourage diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. As well as networking and support, they provide a safe place for (in this case) women to get help in personal and career development.
- Promote inclusive language and behaviour across all levels of the organisation.
Provide Clear Career Progression Pathways
Lack of growth opportunities is one of the reasons why women fail to enter – or choose to leave – STEM careers.
Employers can:
- Implement structured mentorship and sponsorship programs to support career advancement.
- Set clear promotion criteria and ensure transparency in career progression.
- Offer leadership training and executive coaching programmes.
Enhance Work-Life Balance Support
Women in STEM often leave their careers due to the lack of work-life balance. To retain the best young female talent, organisations can:
- Implement flexible work hours and remote work options. This is a key area where women are more likely to remain in the STEM career.
- Provide on-site childcare facilities or childcare subsidies. This makes it easier for women to return to their STEM career after starting a family.
- Offer return-to-work programmes for women who take career breaks.
- Encourage paternity leave policies to balance family responsibilities among both parents. This takes some of the pressure on women being expected to be the primary caregiver.
Recognise and Celebrate Women in STEM
Women respond positively to role models and celebrating women in STEM within your company can boost your staff retention and also encourage future applications in STEM roles from young women.
Highlighting the achievements of female employees can boost morale and retention. Companies can:
- Celebrate women who have been nominated for industry awards and internal recognitions.
- Celebrate International Women’s Day and other relevant STEM-related initiatives such as Women & Girls in Science Day. Get involved in these initiatives both within the company and elsewhere. This can also boost applications from females.
- Feature female employees in marketing materials and recruitment campaigns. This encourages more applications from females because they can see there are other women present in your company and these women are being valued and celebrated.
Successful Initiatives in the UK
There are various initiatives in the UK that are focussed on encouraging women to study and work in STEM careers – and to remain in those careers.
- The WISE Campaign The WISE (Women into Science and Engineering) campaign helps organisations improve gender diversity in STEM by providing training, consultation, and resources.
Their aim is to encourage women and girls to value and pursue science, technology, engineering and maths-related courses in school and college and to move on into related careers; progressing in those careers.
- Athena SWAN Charter Launched in 2005, the Athena Swan Charter is a gender equality framework. Many UK universities and research institutions participate in the Athena SWAN Charter, which recognises efforts to advance gender equality in STEM.
The Charter recognises commitment to advancing and promoting women’s careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine employment.
- STEM Returners Programme This initiative supports professionals returning to STEM careers after a career break, helping women re-enter the workforce with confidence.
Attracting and retaining women in STEM is not just a matter of diversity; it is an economic and innovation imperative. By fostering an inclusive culture, providing clear career pathways and supporting work-life balance, employers in the UK can build a stronger, more diverse STEM workforce.
A commitment to these strategies will not only benefit women but also drive organisational success and national progress in STEM fields.
