Kerry woman ‘STEM’ming the tide in male dominated sector

SCIENCE, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) – it’s a term that is increasingly in vogue and just last month Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton launched an expert report on STEM education in Irish schools.

The aim is to make Ireland a world-leader in STEM education, yet while there has been increased focus in this sector, there remains a gender imbalance. It’s an issue many firms are eager to address and Duagh woman Teresa Gaire is just one example of a growing change in the sector.

Of the 118,000 people in Ireland working in STEM, Teresa belongs to a 25 per cent minority as just one in four employees in the STEM sector are female.

One can be forgiven when thinking of ‘science’ of such images as an eccentric Victorian-like gentleman with a beard on the cusp of some Eureka moment as this is a depiction most of us have of science. But times are changing and presently there is an internationally co-ordinated effort to attract more women into STEM jobs which is being actively pursued by universities that are engaging with female graduates – in some cases before they reach third level.

Teresa is originally from Duagh and, with her dad and brother both working as mechanics, it’s no surprise that she was into problem solving from a young age. Teresa now lives in Limerick but up to recently she commuted daily to her job as a Bioprocess/Project Engineer with Regeneron - a biotechnology company based in Limerick of which 40 per cent of its employees are female.

So how did Teresa find her way into what is traditionally a male dominated sector and where does she feel the solutions lie in attracting more young women to STEM?

“I feel women are not attracted to STEM as we don’t have many mentors to guide and encourage us into the field. Initially, I did mechanical engineering as an undergraduate and it had a balanced blend of theoretical and practical insights.

“But on leaving the course, a lot of fellow graduates would have gone on to do mechanical designing, something that didn’t appeal to me. So I was left not knowing what to do next. It really wasn’t until I broke into ECD engineering that I got into the process side of it, which I was able to transfer over to Regeneron.”

Teresa continued: “It’s no good approaching girls when they’re in college as it’s too late by then. As well as schools, parents have a huge role to play and it should be instilled from a young age – don’t always stereotype kids by giving the boy the tool box and the girl a doll.

“I bought STEM toys for my cousins this Christmas and there’s a company called ‘Kick Starter’ and they recommended robot turtles which encourage programing from a young age; toys that basically contain some basic engineering principles is what they supply.

“It must start as young as that and confidence is going to be important because STEM is such a male dominated sector. So, educating girls young will make them more confident in seeking careers in STEM.”

Teresa Gaire from Duagh