A new report finds women are being squeezed out of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at all stages of their careers.
The Girl Geek Academy report is based on a survey more than 300 Australian women ranging from high school students and women who are interested in pursuing a career in STEM to industry veterans with more than 10 years’ experience,
It says efforts to bring more women into tech are undermined by sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. Industry conferences are highlighted as being unsafe for women because of the lack of human resources oversight, too few women attendees and alcohol at networking drinks.
One anonymous survey respondent said: “I would go to conferences and I would be one of less than 10 women there (not organising or in support roles).
“I was constantly hit on, groped, minimised as I couldn’t be any good … I was literally asked by one of the other country sales directors if I was ‘the entertainment’.”
The research will be submitted to the federal government’s review of government-funded programs designed to increase participation of women in STEM. It makes 16 recommendations including using government procurement to promote diversity and inclusion.
The federal government’s state of STEM gender equity monitor found women accounted for 27 per cent of the workforce across all STEM industries last September, a one percentage point drop from 2020.
Just 23 per cent of senior management and 8 per cent of CEOs in STEM-qualified industries are women. On average, women still earn 18 per cent less than men across all STEM industries.
Ms Scott, who is now the founder of Kaleida, a company that provides career growth plans and performance reviews for technology roles, said the push to draw more women into tech roles had led to a higher concentration of women at junior levels who struggled to move up the ladder.
“There’s been such a big drive to get women into technology roles. And they come in, and they learn, and they’re very competent,” she said, adding that women in technology are promoted more slowly than their male peers.
“But if you’re going to climb a ladder of progression [it’s like] those first two rungs are missing,” she said.
“I think it’s pretty unspoken that in tech roles, the women are the juniors and unless it’s like a CTO or head of engineering, who’s been parachuted in from somewhere else.
“I’ve had actual feedback and performance reviews that my skills are there to move into leadership, but actually, my voice is a bit annoying, so you’re not going to get a promotion,” she said.
