Closing the Gender Gap by Empowering Girls to Join STEMM

The month of March started on a strong note for women with International Women’s Day, but after the celebratory vibe of champagne luncheons, conferences and cocktail events, how are we setting up young girls, soon to be women, to carry the torch into the future?

The Women Empowerment Council (WEC)’s Girls in STEMM initiative is one such future-forward program that wants to make a difference for generations to come. The program aims to build a bridge between girls and the professional world in order to develop their awareness, knowledge and confidence in the various STEMM fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine.

Su Cheng Harris-Simpson, Founder and CEO of SCHS Asia, explained the inspiration for the program: “The Girls in STEMM initiative came about from a discussion at the Women’s Advisory Council that was looking for more women working in the STEMM industries. We asked the question, ‘Why aren’t there more girls in engineering?’ and we believe the issue comes from a disconnect where girls can’t see how they impact the greater good working in such industries. Through Girls in STEMM, these companies can show the great careers and opportunities for the girls to impact the world for good.” Michael Zhu, Global VP and Managing Director of HPE China, said: “Research shows that we don’t have enough women in tech. Girls lose interest in STEMM during middle school so it’s critical to give them the exposure to cultivate their curiosity then.”

The Girls in STEMM program allows innovative companies to serve as a role model in demonstrating strong female presence in their workplace, thereby inspiring girls to pursue their passions in STEMM.

Since its inception in 2021, the program has seen successful runs in both Shanghai and Beijing, with girls from Grade 9 to Grade 11 from Keystone Academy, Canadian International School of Beijing (CISB), Dulwich College Beijing (DCB), and International School of Beijing (ISB) visiting WEC partner companies such as ExxonMobil, Merck, and Henkel.

Feedback from the participants was overwhelmingly positive. “This program solidified my interest to study occupational psychology, as I found it very interesting the extent to which companies are influenced by their culture,” said one participant. Another participant shared: “This experience opened me up to a range of new career opportunities with a STEMM degree. After learning about all of the wonderful majors in STEMM, I have decided to study biochemistry/pre-med because I love the idea of working in the labs!”