This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is #BreakTheBias – and here at GradConnection, we’re celebrating by taking a look at women and careers in STEM. While some progress has been made, the STEM Equity Monitor 2021, found men in Australia are still 1.8 times more likely to be working in a STEM-qualified occupation compared to their female peers five years after graduating. The same report also suggested that a greater percentage of women reported working only part-time after graduating from university in Science & Maths and Agricultural & Environmental studies, with over a quarter in both disciplines categories seeking more work hours.
These stats tell us that while men remain proportionately dominant in the STEM workforce, the demand for more opportunities from women in STEM is high. In fact, statistics from our own database show that 61% of those registered in GradConnection’s Science-categorised disciplines are female, compared to just 39% male!
We are proud that so many of the employers here on GradConnection are leading the way in trying to achieve gender equality in the workplace with women in STEM. Check out the initiatives from just some of these fantastic employers below.
Aurecon
Hiring STEM Disciplines: Engineering, Science, Information Technology, Planning & Surveying, Research & Development
- Holds an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (EOCGE) citation from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA)
- Recruitment and gender targets set at three levels
- Conducts quarterly pay parity audits and remedies any emerging gaps
Capgemini
Hiring STEM Disciplines: Computer Science, Cyber Security, Data Science and Analytics, Engineering, Information Technology/Systems, Mathematics, Statistics
- Women@Capgemini – aims to and empower the women, men and gender diverse people of Capgemini Australia and New Zealand
- Mission to recruit, retain and development female management and leadership
GHD
Hiring STEM Disciplines: Engineering, Aerospace Aeronautical, Science, Planning & Surveying, Computer Science, Cyber Security
- Partnering with organisations to implement women in STEM initiatives
- HunterWiSE program in Newcastle
- Future Women's Jobs Academy program (piloting in 2022) - helping women who are unemployed, underemployed or looking for a career change
- Annual GHD STEM Pathways program in Victoria - Year 10 students spend a week participating in a mock urban development project
SEEK
Hiring STEM Disciplines: Computer Science, Cyber Security, Data Science and Analytics, Engineering, Information Technology/Systems, Mathematics, Statistics
- DevSisters group and FAST (Females at SEEK Thrive) initiative – building out female development programs for leaders across the business
- Camp SEEK – week-long program for girls in Years 9 and 10 where participants are exposed to the broad careers available in technology
- Hosting learning days and meet-ups in collaboration with Geek Girl Dinners, Tech Leading Ladies, Dev-Ops Girls and HaXX