On study programmes within STEM, 28% of those admitted in 2018 were women – these numbers have gone more or less unchanged since 2008.*
20% of the researchers at the Danish universities within STEM are women.*
Women are underrepresented within a number of STEM subjects. However, this particularly applies to the engineering profession (see figure in bottom of article).
Studies indicate that girls in primary school and in the first years of middle school have the same interest in STEM subjects as boys, but they lose interest during the later school years (Villum Foundation, 2020). Three major reviews of Danish and international research (Villum Fonden, 2020) point to the same basic reasons:
- Identity creation
- Teachers, didactics, and teaching environment
- Parents and friends
- Lack of science leisure activities
- Confidence and interest
We will tackle this problem with our collaboration. At our joint events and activities, girls and young women will learn to think like researchers and entrepreneurs, explore needs and find solutions in STEM. We want to help inspire, excite, and empower girls with knowledge and confidence in STEM and entrepreneurship, so they can take part in developing future tech solutions for our diverse society. Our camps aim to strengthen young women in problem solving, courage, creativity, idea generation, and pitching – and at the same time they meet role models and like-minded peers, which can form the basis for new friendships around STEM. This is important in relation to maintaining the girls' interest.
The official collaboration between High5Girls and DTU Electro creates a plateau for the development towards more diversity in the engineering profession, which pleases the organization:
“It is absolutely fantastic that we can draw on DTU Electro's facilities, researchers, and students. It is a unique opportunity for the girls to experience DTU from the inside. We know that it helps create fertile ground for them to see themselves studying at DTU when they have to choose a higher education. With the collaboration, we look forward to being able to introduce new exciting initiatives such as 'attend science' and mother-daughter events”, says Marianne Andersen, founder of High5Girls.
Head of Department at DTU Electro, Lars-Ulrik Aaen Andersen, shares the enthusiasm for the collaboration, saying: “Diversity within the STEM subjects helps us to create better solutions for the challenges of the future. Both because different points of view help uncover the real issues, but also because we can draw on a larger pool of talent. The more women and girls who take an interest in and work with technical solutions, the better equipped we are as a society to face the challenges of the future”.
With the collaboration between DTU Electro and High5Girls, we strive to make STEM education and careers as attractive and accessible to girls as they are for boys. In line with the UN's global goals, we believe that strengthening women's rights and opportunities is crucial to accelerating sustainable development. We are proud to address the historical exclusion of women in STEM and support global efforts to empower young women to create, innovate, and turn their ideas into reality.
________________________________________________________
*Villum Fonden (2020), Hvorfor mister piger interessen for STEM-fag? Og hvad gør vi ved det?
