BEYOND THE NUMBERS
While the gender gap in STEM study persists, Rita Cammaroto’s experience shows that strong mentorship combined with early work experience can make all the difference. By Victoria Baker.
While the gender gap in STEM study persists, one young woman’s experience shows that strong mentorship can make all the difference.
The figures are stark. A recent study of more than 1.6 million students from around the world confirmed that girls and boys perform similarly in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects. Yet women remain under-represented in STEM university courses, and as recently as 2016, women made up only 16 per cent of Australia’s STEM-qualified workforce. So, where does the disconnect lie? Are clever and competent girls shying away from careers in technology – and if so, why?
“At 16, I had no idea what I wanted to do,” says first-year university student Rita Cammaroto. “I was thinking about architecture, fashion design, journalism. I hated maths and science. I didn’t think I was cut out for them.” Her mother Anastasia, an electrical engineer by training and a strong advocate for girls in STEM, could see more. “As a parent, you see all your child’s potential and you see all their doubts. I knew she was underestimating her capabilities and I wished I could give her that 20 years of experience to know that if she applied herself, she could do anything.”
When it came time for work experience, Anastasia, general manager business integration and chief information officer, consumer bank at Westpac, took Rita to the office with her. She spent a week in the user experience team, working on design for the Westpac website and app. This proved revelatory. “I had no idea those roles even existed,” says Rita. “I loved working on my own designs and realising that there was creativity within the IT industry. That was a pivotal point for me. I had always thought a career in technology was really technical and difficult – it seemed unachievable to me. Work experience changed my mind.”
With a growing interest in technology, Rita continued with maths and started to enjoy it. “I had this preconception that maths was really hard, and I would always be bad at it. Once I applied myself, I realised that, just like anything, if you practise, you get better at it. My confidence grew and I started improving. I had a really good teacher in Year 12, which made a huge difference.” Her school careers counsellor pointed her towards the double degree in IT and business at UTS as a way to maximise her options.
Among her peers, though, a career in IT was not a popular choice. “Only three girls from my year went into IT,” says Rita. “It was perceived as really unappealing.”
Could this ingrained cultural attitude be more widely at play? Anastasia, who speaks frequently to school students, particularly at all-girls schools, thinks so. “The career counsellors I speak to say that girls are very focussed on getting high ATARs, and if they get high marks they feel they have to go into law or medicine. They don’t appreciate the breadth of their options. These girls, who have all these digital skills, don’t realise that they’re already part of the way to a career in technology. The gap between the skills as they have, and what employers want, isn’t as big as they think.”
Anastasia has been involved for several years in Westpac’s programs to encourage and support girls into STEM education and careers. As well as the work experience program for female high-school students, Westpac provides internship opportunities for students interested in pursuing a career in technology. Funding is offered to recipients of the Young Technologists Scholarships, which drive greater gender and socio- economic diversity in partnership with five universities around the country. Rita was part of a new initiative, taking an internship in the summer before starting university. “When we started the program, we brought in graduates, but we felt we were missing an opportunity, since many girls had already been lost to the industry, either not starting in STEM courses or dropping out early. So we are experimenting with Year 10 students, and it’s working really well,” says Anastasia.
Rita was assigned to the cyber security team for her internship. “Rita was super-nervous going into it, because cyber security sounds so technical,” says Anastasia. “I hoped she would realise firstly that the work was more manageable than she thought, and secondly that she had some skills that could add value. I wanted her to learn that some of the stereotypes she had in her mind were just that: stereotypes.”
“I had no idea what to expect before the internship,” says Rita. “After learning how the team worked, I ended up being assigned small pieces of work that I actually had ownership of. It was really exhilarating to feel part of the team, to present in meetings and to feel like I could contribute. It made me more confident in my ability.”
After three months in the corporate world, Rita is now in her first semester at UTS, having gained admission to her first choice, the double degree in business and IT. And the verdict? So far so good, although accounting isn’t her favourite subject. She has joined the university’s cyber security society, and hopes to major in the area. It’s clear to her that as a woman she’s in a minority in her IT courses, but she’s optimistic about the future. “I was kind of trapped in what everyone else thought about an IT career,” she says. “It wasn’t until I did my own research and the internship that I realised it was far more appealing than other people made it out to be.”
“I had always thought a career in technology was really technical and difficult – it seemed unachievable to me. Work experience changed my mind”