Women in Stem: Addressing imbalance is imperative for innovation

A recent PwC survey identified a stark reality: women hold only 25 per cent of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) jobs in the State. And, while 33 per cent of male students were encouraged to pursue tech studies, only 16 per cent of female students received similar encouragement.

Qualcomm Ireland, a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, is among the companies actively working to address the gender imbalance in its workforce, particularly in leadership and Stem roles. Paul Kelleher, vice-president of engineering at Qualcomm Ireland, acknowledges the challenge.

“There’s a perception that Stem, maths and science isn’t cool,” he says. “Young students are being discouraged by peers at class level to take the easy option and not pursue subjects like physics or applied maths, even though they may be very talented at them.

“This is really disheartening. If these subjects are dropped at a young age, they are often more difficult to pick up later in their academic career. Stem subjects can lead to really rewarding, well-paid jobs in great companies.”

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Mag O’Keeffe is vice-president, global additive technologies, at Stryker, a world leader in medical technologies.

“A gender imbalance leads to a lack of diversity of opinion and thought due to the absence of the diverse range of backgrounds and lived experiences that is inherent to a gender-balanced workplace,” she says.

“Gender equality is instrumental in driving innovation and enhancing problem-solving skills across an organisation.”

Chris Collins, country president for Ireland at Schneider Electric, a global industry technology leader, agrees that gender balance is “about more than equality and equity”.

“Addressing the gender imbalance needs to be a business imperative if we are to drive innovation and investment in Ireland’s tech sector,” he says. “Without it, we risk stifling growth.”

Representation and visibility are key to bringing about change, says O’Keeffe: “Traditionally girls and women were steered towards the caring professions but what’s more caring than a profession in the medtech sector where you are leading advances that enhance and improve the lives of people with medical needs?

“Significant progress has been made over the last two decades, in that children can now see women leading the way in so many areas of Stem. While there is still progress to be made, we can now point to role models and clearly show what success looks like.”

In her early career as a production technician, O’Keeffe was one of the only women on the manufacturing floor.

“Now as I walk through the floor at Stryker, I am delighted to see so much more diversity than 25 years ago,” she says.

“A lack of female Stem role models in my own early education made things challenging when I wanted to pursue a career in engineering. Representation matters and role models play a key role in inspiring women and girls towards a Stem career. Knowing this motivates me to take an active role in initiatives that encourage young people to pursue a career in Stem and to become their role model.

The Stryker Women’s Network (SWN) aims to address the underrepresentation of women in the sector, says O’Keeffe.

“We offer career development opportunities for members through networking, leadership-mentoring and educational projects,” she adds. “This generates an open and inclusive culture, which is instrumental in attracting, developing and retaining talented women and driving engagement for all employees.”

In addition to the SWN, the women in science and engineering (Wise) group specifically focuses on accelerating the growth of technical women at Stryker. Through technical education talks, networking sessions and mentorship programmes, Wise provides support and guidance to women in Stem.

O’Keeffe, herself a mentor, emphasises the importance of mentorship throughout a career: “Mentorship is important at the start of your career but it doesn’t end there. An effective mentor can support you through career advancement, upskilling and returning to work after a career break.

“I know my own career journey tells its own story and sharing my experiences at our Wise Ireland speaker series allows others to learn and see what is possible.”

Kelleher, meanwhile, says supporting women’s career development within an organisation is key to bringing about change.

“We have done this through Qualcomm Women in Engineering, Science and Technology (Qwest) and we are fortunate enough to have three fantastic female engineer leads this for the site, as well as their female colleagues,” he says.

“They are supported in leadership training and attendance at conferences, they have key speakers at the site and they have influence in events and items they would like to see to further support their female colleagues.”

Kelleher says Qwest is accelerating the progression of women on the career ladder and that a top priority for Qualcomm Ireland over the next three years is to have more women in leadership roles. Qualcomm also recognises the need to think long term.

“We also run a transition-year internship week, providing students with a weeklong immersion into Stem, engineering, coding and the world of Qualcomm Technologies,” he adds.

The company organises CoderDoJo workshops for primary school pupils too and is active on university campuses.

“We participate in events like First Lego League at UCC, Stem SW Expo, and iWish, providing opportunities for their female engineers to share their experiences and inspire potential future engineers,” says Kelleher.

Collins, meanwhile, says it’s important for companies to have “progressive policies that attract and retain women, besides development programmes that can better equip and support women to succeed”.

“At Schneider Electric we’re proud to lead the way with bold initiatives including those on diverse leadership, family leave and pay equity,” he says.

“We’re also a huge advocate for alternative career paths such as apprenticeships, internships and graduate programmes. These offer a mix of technical and interpersonal skills, which supports quicker progression routes, while equipping talent with the skills they’ll need for future roles.”

Organisations must create business frameworks that nurture female talent – otherwise they will miss out on culture, growth and the ability to thrive, says Collins.

“Cultivating a diverse and inclusive workforce to power Ireland’s energy transition should be a given,” he adds.