Changing the face of STEM

Women in IT, sadly enough they're still few and far between. 

Diversity means a wealth of viewpoints and ideas that tackle challenges from different angles. It helps us to do better and drives innovation into uncharted territories. Ultimately, a diverse workforce lets us create products and services that caters to everyone. And that's not the only reason for getting more women in STEM. People with IT skills are rapidly becoming endangered species. By 2020, the European Commission expects a shortage of half a million IT-workers! That's a problem that hits close to home, as my colleagues and I at Microsoft, and our 4300 partners, are confronted everyday with the challenge of finding the right talent for the job. 

 Why do girls lose interest in STEM? 

At Microsoft, we wanted to know why girls and women do not easily find their way to STEM. So last year, we did our first 'Girls in STEM' research to answer the question 'why do girls lose interest in STEM?'. Among other things, we learned two things. On the one hand, girls want to be creative and they don't associate creativity with STEM, and on the other hand, they lack female role models. To turn those insights into action, in this year's research. we looked at how those two elements can impact girls' interest in STEM.

 STEM and creativity: two peas in a pod 

Can STEM satisfy girls' need for creativity? Of course, it can! Girls studying STEM feel they're just as creative as their peers who are studying the traditionally creative subjects like humanities or art. This holds true especially for girls who are studying medicine. We even found that some Belgian girls can imagine a STEM career better the more creative they are. That's not without reason, women in science, specifically, are at the top of our job creativity ranking. In fact, our research discovered that if European girls go from college to the workplace they'll feel an increase in creativity when working STEM jobs, while humanities students feel less creative at work compared to their studies.  

So why are not more women working STEM jobs? Last year, we discovered that girls do not get enough practical experience at school and hence have no chance to discover the creativity within those subjects. That's why we'll keep investing in initiatives like Hour of Code and our YouthSpark grants.  

 From Lisa Simpson to Marie Curie: girls need role models 

Ever been inspired by a person and thought 'I want to follow in their footsteps’? Our research showed that the impact of a STEM role model on Belgian girls cannot be overstated: their interest in STEM more than doubles when they have women to look up to; Only 13% of girls without a role model said to like STEM. If they have someone to look up to, the amount of interested girls doubles to 31%! Moreover, a role model raises that interest for ALL subjects, not just the one they excel in. It's not only their interest that goes up. When they have a role model, girls gain a confidence boost. Girls with a role model consistently gave themselves higher grades when asked how good they are in subjects such as math or physics.  

It's also easier for girls and young women to imagine a job in STEM when they know women with a career in STEM. By leading by example, women in STEM show that there is a place for girls in the sector and this encourages them to follow in their footsteps. Girls also look closer to home for support to their family and specifically their mothers to cheer them on when choosing or considering STEM.  

We need to put strong women into the spotlight 

We can all help by making the exceptional women in STEM more visible. To put my money where my mouth is, I want to shine a light on the amazing women at Microsoft who've inspired me throughout the years. We need more of you! 

One woman I want to call out (and she doesn't know I did it) is Santina Franchi. As a General Manager of our Enterprise Business in Western Europe, she is managing our biggest customers. Until recently (January 2018) she was my peer as I was responsible for our small- and Midmarket customers, also in Western Europe. I think I never met anybody that is so different from who I am. I also never met anybody that is so driven, passionate and smart. She is resilient and relentless. And unbelievably passionate about what one can achieve with technology. In many ways she embodies our mission to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. I felt humbled, yet energized working on her side. Santina... we need more of you!