Aiming high: According to Unesco, women make up only 35% of STEM graduates globally but in Malaysia, we are seeing more women STEM graduates. — 123rf
GLOBALLY, women are making great strides in tertiary education, with women outnumbering men in higher institutions.
However, in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, women remain underrepresented.
According to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), women make up only 35% of STEM graduates globally – a figure that it says has remained unchanged in ten years.
In contrast, Malaysia is seeing more women STEM graduates – it has been reported that the Higher Education Ministry’s Graduate Tracer Study has been recording that women make up more than 50% of the country’s STEM degree holders in the last few years.
Unfortunately, the story is different when it comes to STEM careers.
Like their counterparts in the rest of the world, women STEM graduates in Malaysia are being hired at lower rates than men: from 2015 to 2021, 69% of women STEM graduates are employed, compared to 72% men (MOHE Graduate Tracer Study, 2015-2021).
This gender disparity is worrying, especially as Unesco puts it, STEM careers are often referred to as “the jobs of the future, driving innovation, social wellbeing, inclusive growth and sustainable development.”
The Malaysian government is committed to address this issue through policy and capacity-building programmes.
More crucially, so is the corporate sector, which has introduced various initiatives to advance women in these fields.
But it is the women themselves who are leading the way for change:
> Refining equality and building inclusion
For 38-year-old Alia Amalina Md Noor, becoming an engineer was more than just a career – it was a lifelong dream.
> Creating impact and mentoring others
Curiosity sparked a powerful lifelong interest in engineering for automative engineer Dr Evona Teh.
