Who are we? With our years of experience working in STEM education and industry, we have seen first-hand how girls and young women are faced with greater and more numerous barriers which limit their choices and expectations for the future. This is particularly true for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. In 2018 we finally decided to create femSTEM, an emerging charity currently based in the North West to help break down these barriers. We believe that girls and young women from all schools and all backgrounds should have access to the information, support and opportunities they need to create a bright future in STEM. Not only that, but also the confidence to become our future STEM leaders, innovators and pioneers. How do we do it? We work directly with schools to identify girls and young women who may (or may not!) be considering a future in STEM. We run school-based workshops which involve hands-on experience of the real world of STEM, including opportunities to talk to inspiring STEM women. Importantly, we also provide a follow up programme designed to offer individual support and guidance for girls and young women as they navigate paths towards a future in STEM. We also work with boys and young men to challenge the stereotypes in STEM. Why do we do it? Women make up just 24% of all the core STEM workforce in the UK. Research into the impact of diversity in the workplace shows numerous benefits to organisations, yet at the same time STEM industries are also struggling to recruit the numbers forecast they need for the future. At GCSE, girls continue to outperform boys in the majority of STEM subjects. However girls are less likely to pursue STEM subjects to A Level and beyond. Young women are missing out on fulfilling, challenging, rewarding careers and the STEM industry is missing out on a huge amount of untapped potential. At femSTEM we're working to change this.
