OSPE - The Voice - December 2017 - 17

faCTs

PROjeCT hIGhLIGhTs

What is STEM?

what: To increase the participation of women in
STEM careers.

Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics.
Women in STEM fields represent
less than 1/4 of workforce.
In 1987, only 20% of the people
working in sTem fields were
female, a number that has inched up
to just 22 per cent today.
less than 13 per cent of practicing
licensed engineers are women.

of Guelph, has been an effective advocate
for women in STEM fields for more than
two decades.
OSPE is running strategic focus groups
with students and female professionals
to gather their perspectives, experiences
and suggestions for systemic change.
We have launched a survey to collect
insights on the barriers that contribute
to the underrepresentation of women
in STEM and to learn what can be done
to encourage and retain more women.
http://bit.ly/letsbreakbarriers. The next
step will be to analyze the information
and review other research in this area.
The findings will be used to develop
technology driven learning tools and
resources, and to influence workplace
and government policy changes.
In the last few years, universities and
organizations such as the Ontario Network
of Women in Engineering (ONWiE,
www.ONWiE.ca/) have focused on
promoting STEM to younger girls.
ONWiE has made great strides in
increasing the enrolment of female
students in STEM academic programs,
but there has been less focus on retaining
and advancing these same women
through their career. According to a
report by Catalyst, only 27% of women
graduates in Canada with a STEM degree
were working in a STEM-intensive
occupation. OSPEs 2015 report on
Ontario's engineering labour market
found that just over 20% of women with
engineering degrees worked as engineers

NEWS

whY: having more women in STEM programs
and jobs can be directly linked "to a country's
competitiveness and economic prosperity."
Statistics Canada

how:
* Pilot strategies to address systemic barriers
* Develop tools and resources to support women and
girls in STEM
* Promote workplace and government policy changes
$385,000 over 3 years. Funded by Status of Women
Canada
For more info visit us at: http://letsBreakBarriers.ca

or engineering managers. With respect to
underemployment the picture was even
more grim. Well over one-third of women
who had engineering degrees worked in
jobs that didn't necessarily requiring a
degree. As a female engineering student,
I would have never believed that so very
few of the hardworking and talented
women I went to school with would not
actually work in the profession.
There is no doubt that STEM
professions are driving both innovation
and economic growth. TD Economics
recently published a report on Women
and STEM. Their report found that
while the labour market is increasingly
demanding higher skill levels in STEM,
women make up less than one-quarter
of these occupations, and that the
persistence of low female representation
will bear a larger economic cost over time.
Innovation requires creativity, and
creativity is driven by diversity. Until we
have a critical mass of women in STEM,
we are potentially losing out on half of
the world's ingenuity and perspective.
Companies need to be able to attract
and retain top talent. In order to do so,
we need to break down the unconscious
bias and discrimination that often leads
to women self-selecting out of the STEM
workforce. Twenty years of research
demonstrates a correlation between
organisations with high gender diversity
in leadership and several measures of
organisational success.
The federal government believes

their investment will contribute to
women's economic security and equal
participation in the Canadian economy.
We believe that breaking barriers for
Women in STEM is not only important
for women, but that it will also be a key
factor for innovation and profitability.
For women who are considering a career
in STEM or who are already a part of
the STEM work force today, know that
OSPE and many other organizations are
working towards a change. One that will
encourage women to pursue their STEM
career aspirations. We believe that this
can be achieved by working together
with workplaces, industry, governments,
and institutions and that change
begins with men, women, me and you.
#LetsBreakBarriers

ospE needs your help!
* Go to bit.ly/letsbreakbarriers and take
our survey. We want your insights on
the barriers that contribute to the underrepresentation of women in STEM
and what can be done to encourage
and retain more Women.
* Share this survey with professionals in
your network, including those who have
left the STEM workforce.
WE WElCOME INSIGHTS FROM
All GENDERS.
December 2017

The VOICe

17
http://www.letsBreakBarriers.ca http://www.bit.ly/letsbreakbarriers http://www.ONWiE.ca/ http://www.bit.ly/letsbreakbarriers
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of OSPE - The Voice - December 2017
