We have it in our power to change status quo in STEM
I’M the founder and chief executive of Rem3dy Health, a Birmingham-based start-up company developing 3D-printed personalised health products both medicinal and preventative. And I’m also a woman. Statistically, this makes me an anomaly.
But why?
Why, despite continued efforts, do we struggle to incentivise women into STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) fields?
And what more can we do to help fix this?
You need only look at the figures to see the chasm between male and female representation in STEM fields.
Just 24 per cent of the workforce in these industries is female.
It’s worth noting that this alone can be a barrier to entry for some.
No-one likes to feel they aren’t represented and breaking into a male-dominated industry can be intimidating.
Female role models are such an important antidote to this.
Sometimes all it takes is seeing someone that looks like you who has had success in a field to give you the belief that you too can follow in their footsteps.
Seeing women breaking down those gender barriers, being confident in their own abilities and achieving significant funding for their projects will all encourage other women to do the same.
Access to funding is actually one of the areas with the starkest disparity - something that heavily impacts prospective female entrepreneurs in STEM.
Just seven per cent of tech companies are fully female founded, in comparison with 12 per cent which are founded by a mixed team of male and females, and 81 per cent which are fully male founded.
Statistics such as these go some way to explaining the lack of female investment opportunities and shortage of representation for female-founded start-ups in the tech industry.
I’m extremely proud to have raised the highest-ever, femalefounded seed round in UK history for Rem3dy back in 2019.
I am a passionate advocate for women’s equal access to finance and wholeheartedly hope that accomplishments such as this help to inspire and motivate a new generation of female founders so that we can go some way to fixing that unequal balance.
Beyond role models, education programmes have to do a better job of stressing the diversity of the world in STEM fields.
I believe most people would likely recognise the word STEM, fewer would be able to tell you what the initials stand for and, beyond that, a small minority could probably list five different career options under that umbrella.
The industry spans from crime scene investigators to nuclear engineers, with everything in between, so I’m confident there are a vast variety of roles which would be of interest to women.
This is purely an education and awareness issue.
Those preconceptions can add barriers to people wanting to enter the industry so we need to spread awareness of how exciting and vast the sector is.
I also believe that workplaces need to have closer ties with higher education institutions.
Compared with the 24 per cent gender split in the workforce, 35 per cent of students in STEM subjects are women.
This suggests a disparity between those that are studying to get into the field and those that are following that through into careers.
I think particularly if, as a business, you identify you have an issue with diversity in a certain area, then engaging with higher education is a great place to start.
In Birmingham in particular, we have three fantastic local universities that have a focus on additive manufacturing which has created a wonderful talent pool to recruit from.
Offering a mentorship scheme or providing internships to help women get access to entry-level jobs can help to bridge the gender gap in a business.
What can individual women do more to help forge their careers?
For me, I can’t understate the importance of networking.
Speaking to people in the industry, male or female, at events across the country, learning how they overcome challenges and grow their business is invaluable.
Especially if, initially, you’re intimidated about starting a business - speaking to others who have already had success should provide you with valuable tips.
As you progress your network, finding someone that can help in a mentoring role can be extremely valuable too. Coming back to the issue of not necessarily knowing the breadth of the roles available within STEM, this is where a mentor can come in.
As someone who has been in the field for a while, they will be able to guide you into sectors that may be of interest.
This is something that I am lucky to do regularly and I really feel it can bring a lot of insight and value.
Overall, it’s your belief that’s going to carry you.
Don’t let the statistics of women in STEM put self-limiting beliefs on you.
I don’t agree with the thinking that it’s up to someone else to make things better for women in the tech industry.
We have it within ourselves to change the status quo - we are strong.
I believe it is our responsibility to shed any fear we may hold, go out there and do it.
Melissa Snover is the founder and chief executive Rem3dy
Health
If, as a business, you identify you have an issue with diversity in a certain area, then engaging with higher education is a great place to start.