Senior women in Australia’s science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) industries lament the sector’s struggles to retain talented, experience, women.
Last year, we released a whitepaper in partnership with Boston Consulting Group, which spoke with women leaders in STEM, in an effort to diagnose why.
Those leaders spoke about the sector’s good intentions but a lack of practical outcomes, pushback when women do grow into leadership positions and a culture that makes it difficult to rise through the ranks in the first place.
“There’s a real “tech trap door” where we lose experienced women to other industries,” one former senior tech executive said.
“There are still some attitudes that a man will do better in a senior role. We see how it plays out: when people get leadership roles, the “cool jobs” flow to the men.”
One of the whitepaper’s recommendations for actions that would advance women’s leadership in STEM was for leaders to sponsor, not just mentor, mid-level women in their organisations.
In that vein, we are delighted to partner with Chemistry Australia to launch the Chemistry Australia CEW Women Leader in STEM Scholarship.
The scholarship will give one woman working in the Australian chemistry industry the chance to study Oxford Saïd Business School’s Women Transforming Leadership Program.
The goal of the scholarship is to promote the career of women leaders in STEM and part of an effort to address women’s representation among leadership in the Australian chemistry industry.
You can find more information and apply here.
