Women still face uphill battle when pursuing university degrees in STEM

Despite earning the majority of university degrees, women only made up 39% of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) university Graduates aged 25 to 34 in 2011, according to StatsCanada. 

In non-STEM fields women accounted for 66% of university degrees aged 25 to 34 and about 80% of graduates in health and education-related programs. 

After university, the numbers are even starker. Women in scientific occupations requiring university degrees made up only 23% compared to non-scientific occupations requiring a university degree at 65%.

Joanne Atlee is a Professor and Director of Women in Computer Science at the University of Waterloo, she says the reasons women do not pursue the STEM field are due to choices made by women, and for women.

“When you talk about boys and girls, up until maybe Grade 5; Grade 6 there's no difference at all… Both genders are equally interested in math and science,” Atlee said. Many programs have cropped up to support women pursuing a career in the STEM fields, providing study groups, scholarships and support groups.

However, these programs can only do so much. Women pursuing degrees in STEM often feel left out due to being in the minority, according to Atlee.

“Every once in a while, they are questioned whether they really belong,” Atlee said. She adds some have even told women attending UW the reason they were accepted into certain STEM programs was because they were female. 

All of this can end up discouraging women from pursuing the degree all together. Atlee says ethically, anyone who is interested and capable should be able pursue a career in the STEM fields.

According to Atlee a number of studies have been conducted that showed diverse work forces out performing more homogenous groups. Atlee says it's in large part due to workers coming from different backgrounds actively trying understand one another and sharing their ideas.

In order to fix this disparity, Atlee says that we should encourage more women to pursue STEM careers from a young age.

“We need to do a better job of working with both our sons and our daughters in exposing them to all the fields that they can pursue,” she said. “Try to remove the stereotypes at an early age and let girls pursue their interest in math and science, and let boys pursue their interest in art and social science.”