STEM Sisters Initiative
for Somali Women & Girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics)
STEM Sisters is unique initiative for Somali Women & Girls in STEM, aimed to harness their potential for STEM skills to help close the gender gap, drive innovation and inspiration, and ultimately create the conditions for Somali women and girls in STEM to thrive across recruitment, retention and advancement to leadership. This will be achieved by providing training; support in finding scholarships, internship & jobs; offered the opportunity to connect with inspirational mentors and exchange ideas with their peers through networking
This initiative also seeks to encourage the participation of Somali women and girls on to STEM field by increasing representation, leadership, and impact. Increasingly, the world requires more and more STEM-related knowledge to function, therefore it is of great importance to educate women on these matters so that they can better participate and contribute to society.
The focus on women in STEM has been a pertinent issue in the world due to gender imbalances that women still face. According to statistics, the participation of women across a variety STEM-related industries and sectors is particularly low. There are only 24% female representation in the STEM-fields for overall employment, and only 11% representation when it comes to participation in roles involving roles of responsible. Furthermore, it has also been shown that women only make up 9% of CEOs among technology company global. With this in mind, getting more women interested in pursuing the STEM field by opening opportunities for them to pick up STEM-related skills. The intended result from these would be to increase productivity across the STEM industries.
The focus on women in STEM has been a pertinent issue in the world due to gender imbalances that women still face. According to statistics, the participation of women across a variety STEM-related industries and sectors is particularly low. There are only 24% female representation in the STEM-fields for overall employment, and only 11% representation when it comes to participation in roles involving roles of responsible. Furthermore, it has also been shown that women only make up 9% of CEOs among technology company global. With this in mind, getting more women interested in pursuing the STEM field by opening opportunities for them to pick up STEM-related skills. The intended result from these would be to increase productivity across the STEM industries.
To expand, the importance of female participation in the STEM industries is demonstrated through greater economic competitiveness that is sorely needed in this transition toward the digital age. Furthermore, the continued exclusion of women would almost certainly result with a loss of opportunity for society as a whole. Several factors that have been associated with gender STEM gaps, these include fewer existing role models that can inspire other women and girls in to being inspired into entering a STEM profession. Another factor would certainly gender stereotypes which may prevent prospective students from even pursuing an education in STM-related subjects. Additionally, confidence gap between boys and girls may be also be factor in preventing female participation in STEM fields. The initiative will focus on ameliorating these problems.
Thus, this initiative also aims in improving the long-term future of women in STEM. These will take collective effort of teachers, student, professors and industry leaders to contribute to the initiative. One of the ways to accomplish is to spread awareness of accomplishment to the various STEM fields by women. This would through inclusive messages that are incorporated within STEM courses.
Why Girls and Women in STEM?
Women’s participation in STEM has remained relatively low over the past 15 years, with a small increase in engineering and computer science but with decline in some other STEM fields. The overall pattern is clear: there is a notable gender gap in most STEM fields and an enduring and extremely large gender gap in engineering and computer science.
Research shows that the lack of women in certain STEM fields discourages other women from pursuing degrees in STEM fields. Traditions compel women to embody specific gender roles that discourage them from pursuing STEM jobs. This is why we are seeking to create awareness, increase access to STEM facilities and empower girls and women in STEM fields.
Ongoing activities for STEM Sisters
- Coaching and Mentorship programs
- Training and Scholarships
- Employment Opportunity including Internship and work placement
4. Networking with peers
5. National and International STEM conferences
Closing the gap requires tapping into women’s and girls’ creativity, providing encouragement and connecting STEM subjects to real-world examples.
Our Belief
We believe in the combined power of girls, parents, teachers and mentors to build confidence in young girls and shape their futures in STEM fields.
- We envision a world where women feel confident to pursue STEM careers and are equally represented in the STEM workforce.
- ‘Girls in STEM’ inspires girls to visualize themselves in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics careers and empowers them to pursue STEM professions.
Approach
- We provide a platform for established career women in the STEM fields to collaborate, share ideas, and implement STEM projects in the country.
- Our research-backed approach to STEM education brings a unique perspective to our ‘Girls in STEM’ workshops.
- We inspire girls to develop interest and confidence in STEM through hands-on activities, parental engagement and positive female role models.
Blog post: STEM Sisters Initiative for Somali Women and Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
