With doctors in spotlight, let’s look at STEM
Pandemic is a perfect time to showcase the work doctors do behind the scenes
Just months ago, the average Canadian likely couldn’t name Canada’s chief public health officer. Today, Dr. Theresa Tam is a celebrity with murals painted in her honour.
With the public hungry for information during the pandemic, Canada’s health officials are overnight superstars. For professionals who usually work behind the scenes, it’s a rare chance to showcase their vital contributions. It’s worth noting that of our 14 federal, provincial and territorial top doctors, seven are women.
Many are celebrating this accomplishment for gender parity in STEM. But let’s not miss the chance for a conversation about how Canada can remove more barriers for women in science, technology, engineering and math.
“I always like to see women in prominent positions and it doesn’t happen in many fields, unfortunately,” says Monique Frize, founding member of the International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists and the first woman to graduate from the University of Ottawa’s electrical engineering program, in 1966. She has advocated for women in STEM for decades. In some fields, there’s still a long way to go.
“One of the biggest challenges for me going into engineering was I didn’t see myself reflected in the field,” says Katie Newton, a 2019 mechanical engineering grad. Newton is featured in the 2020 See It Be It STEM It calendar — an initiative to promote women-in-STEM role models.
Just under half of all Canadian physicians are women, but the balance shifts in medical specializations. Women are more represented in obstetrics and pediatrics, while surgical suites are still dominated by men. Women still make up only 22 per cent of engineering undergrads and only 13 per cent of licensed engineers. Engineers Canada has set a goal to raise 13 to 30 per cent by 2030.
“That’s doable, but we need a lot of restructuring of the profession,” says Frize.
Frize believes the “macho” culture that has historically pervaded sectors like engineering has faded, but not completely. Fixing that will take changes in education. More women are needed in academic leadership positions. Just one in five Canadian university executives, and one-third of college presidents, are women. Frize also believes that first-year STEM programs should include a “social engineering” course to discuss issues like gender equality in their fields.
Certain professions also need to rethink promotion and recruitment. A recent survey found the top priorities from women in STEM include driving innovation in a way that also aligns with personal values. Frize believes women tend to seek fields where they feel they have more positive impact, like medicine. To attract more women to other fields, recruiters should highlight social value, even in hard science.
Maybe we could attract more women to STEM if they knew they’d be paid fairly. In some fields, women earn as much as $20,000 less than men. Even in engineering, with one of the narrowest pay gaps, there’s still a four per cent difference in wages between men and women.
As we cheer on Dr. Tam, and all the female health workers, scientists and engineers who are working to protect us, let’s also strive for tangible action. Let’s do more to achieve equality in STEM.
Craig Kielburger is co-founder of the WE Movement, which includes WE Charity, ME to WE Social Enterprise and WE Day.