[COLUMNIST] Celebrating girls and women in science

The United Nations officially acknowledges that full and equal access to and participation in science, technology and innovation for women and girls of all ages is imperative for the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We remain far off from these goals though, and science definitely needs more women in it.

At present, the global average of female engineering graduates’ stands at 28% with female graduates in computer science and informatics being slightly higher at 40%. Unfortunately, the enrolment of female students remains particularly low in ICT (3%), natural science, mathematics and statistics (5%) and in engineering, manufacturing and construction (8%).

On the home front, based on data from the EFA Global Monitoring Report in 2008, Malaysia will likely not achieve gender parity for enrolment in secondary education by 2025 based on past trends, with more boys enrolled in secondary education than girls. In 1957, only 33% of girls enrolled in secondary school but in 2018 this number had risen to 75%. In local universities and colleges, women make up 62% of total enrolment but are still absent from many leadership or decision-making positions even though various policies have been enacted by the Government.

A UN Women report states that in the STEM space, when job opportunities arise, women gain only one job while men gain five. Unfortunately, women only make up 33% of all researchers with only 22 women having been awarded a Nobel prize in a scientific discipline to date. The Nobel prize in Physics is a good example: 211 male award winners and only 4 women. Malaysian female researchers have bucked the global trend though: In 2004 35.8% were female researchers, with the number rising to an impressive 49.9% in 2012.

In any case, I remain hopeful. Opportunities clearly abound but we need to consciously be proactive to address unconscious biases and implicit associations that form an unintended barrier to equal opportunity.

Women in Rail Malaysia has for the last three years engaged with female students every year on 11th February, to shine a light on the need for more girls to consider a career in the STEM space. Well aware that young girls are unfairly disadvantaged from the get-go because of gender stereotypes and societal bias, Women in Rail Malaysia has to date, spoken to almost 5,000 students in Malaysia to not only shine a light on the various job opportunities in the Malaysian rail industry but also bring forth female role models that are successful professionals in their own right. Women leaders serve as powerful catalysts for change and play a very subtle but pivotal role in unearthing the confidence and empowering young women on the cusp of adulthood.

In 2020 Women in Rail Malaysia went to the top three girls’ secondary schools in Johor Bahru to deliver Leadership Talks, in 2021 we collaborated in an online webinar with UniKL and this year, Women in Rail Malaysia celebrates International Day of Women and Girls in Science with Australian university students both in person with those in Malaysia and online with those in Australia as well.

There is nothing more inspiring for young girls than to see a passionate professional, who happens to be a woman, working in the Malaysian rail space stand up in a hall or webinar and share her story of the trials and tribulations she has faced during her studies or while advancing in her career. Every time I speak at one of these talks, I see nothing but shiny rapt eyes listening, absorbing and (hopefully) realising that a successful professional career in a male dominated space may just be possible for them too.

But the odds remain stacked against these young ladies and even today in 2022, we face difficult challenges. The coronavirus outbreak further exacerbated existing inequalities for women and girls across every sphere and we are remiss when the focus is not on gender equality because this remains a fundamental human right. It remains our collective responsibility to ensure women and girls are given the tools and opportunities to lead and innovate and be supported by policies and cultures that ensure their safety, incentivising them to advance and thrive in their careers.

My biggest fear is that the under-representation of women in STEM will translate into the loss of a critical mass of talent, thoughts and ideas which will hinder Malaysia from reaching its maximum potential. If there is gender imbalance in the number of scientists/researchers, innovators or leadership, it is highly likely that infrastructure or services being discovered and developed will not take into account the needs of the population in general. No country can afford to waste the talent of half its population.

In celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we need to not only promote the participation of women and girls in science but also stretch ourselves further by changing mindsets and biases that limit girls’ passions, expectations and professional goals. By speaking to students across the country, members of Women in Rail Malaysia hope to fight gender stereotypes and be credible role models to young girls everywhere.

Th road ahead is long and we need to keep working hard for the global good, where women do not have to face barriers in scientific careers and where they can reach their full potential, affording girls everywhere a brighter future. In the words of Jennifer Doudna, laureate of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, “I love the process of discovery”. For all girls contemplating a career in science, it should be as simple as that.

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* Natasha Zulkifli is the Founder Director of Women in Rail Malaysia