Why the democratization of education may still leave many women without a vote – and how we can all encourage girls to seek more opportunities in STEM

On a macro level, the continuous advancement of girls’ education holds enormous potential for the growth of our entire society. And on a micro level, it can serve to improve the lives of individual girls from more typically disadvantaged communities immensely – along with their families.

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It's no secret that this is a cause that is close to my heart, however, I was surprised to learn just how much companies are also benefiting from talented, higher-educated women that are entering the workforce. For example, Forbes found that 60.2% of gender diverse companies report increased profits and productivity – and 56.8% claim a heightened ability to attract and retain talent. Additionally, 54.4% report greater creativity, innovation, and openness – and 54.1% note an enhanced company reputation.

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So, if everyone stands to gain here – why are some girls still being held back?

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Thanks to the heightened democratization of education stemming from the proliferation of new mediums – especially in the post-pandemic world – accessibility to quality learning has never been higher. However, deeply-ingrained barriers in the education of girls persist – and are proving difficult to solve. These barriers come in many forms: general poverty, child marriage practices, male-child favoritism when investing in education, etc. And sometimes, the reality is that schools do not meet the safety, hygiene, or sanitation needs of their female students.

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Learning to prioritize growth and quenching our thirst for knowledge – as children and adults

Many times, even when communities and parents are fully onboard with advancing the education of their girls to the fullest, it is the first thing to fall by the wayside when other tasks come up. In these communities, women are expected to deprioritize courses or training to attend to domestic or family healthcare responsibilities – while men are free to do the opposite.

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For example, in my years working abroad, it was quite common to hear comments like, “oh, I can’t attend our training today because I need to take care of my little sister while my mother is sick – and I also need to clean the house and do the laundry.” Speaking to this point, according to research from Gallup , women are more likely than men to feel burned out at work – 34% vs. 26% – and the burnout gender gap has more than doubled since 2019.

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When speaking directly with children and asking them about their ideal jobs, the Indian boys I spoke with typically wanted to play cricket – and girls wanted to have a career in Bollywood. Similarly, when I used to live in the Philippines working for an NGO, the Filipino boys we interviewed wanted to be professional basketball players (the most popular sport in the Philippines), while the girls wanted to be singers. But, when we would point out that this wasn’t necessarily realistic, they would revert to jobs that seemed more accessible to them – typically the same occupations as their parents.

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Shifting more to the west, I remember Paul Hermelin writing about stereotypes and how they influence how girls see themselves within society. He commented how in the US, it has been measured that girls tend to disengage from technical studies between 12 and 15 years old.

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These cultural norms and developments are having a knock-on effect. For example, within STEM, the gender gap is widening. Only 35% of STEM students globally are girls, with huge differences observed within STEM disciplines. We’re also losing potential young female professionals that could become mentors and role models. According to Cornelia Levy-Bencheton , author of “Women in Data,” only 17% of C-suite technology leaders are women – and just 15% of CIOs specifically are women.

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Shaping future currents – and encouraging the flow into STEM

It’s clear from the above examples that our society and culture really impact the representation of girls and youth in certain areas of work. This is why we need to build bridges to close the gaps in representation. For me, inspiring the children and young adults mentioned above by mentoring them, increasing their self-confidence, and showing them the possibilities STEM careers hold is critical.

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This means developing programs that help foster equity across the wider community – but also win hearts and minds across generations within individual homes and workplaces. For example, our ACE of STEM project is helping to improve equitable access to STEM education across many geographies. parent. The project is based on driving the following initiatives:

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• STEM awareness – Introducing STEM among young children and adults and debunking misconceptions about women in tech
• STEM skills – Equipping students with STEM skills in schools and colleges through dedicated events
• STEM competitions – Organizing or participating in competitions that help students develop their STEM skills
• Mentoring – Getting our professionals to provide mentorship and guidance to young students and their ecosystems

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Additionally, our Enlight Program is another project delivered by Capgemini in India that brings education to girls from disadvantaged families, including girls with disabilities, or from poor and homeless families. This program is helping to protect women against violence by addressing the social conditions and biases that deny access to basic facilities for girls and women.

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Embracing culture and changing minds – embracing equity and helping women grow together

I’m proud to say that thanks to these initiatives, we’re making great progress in encouraging girls to seek more opportunities in STEM, and nurturing women’s professional growth across all levels. At Capgemini in India, our women professionals now constitute over 40% percent of our workforce.

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While thanks to our Enlight Program, more than 90% of participating children have improved their competency levels in reading, writing, and arithmetic – and parents and partnering communities have shown a greater awareness of the issues at stake here. Many challenges remain; however, I’m thrilled to be a part of these unique Capgemini initiatives – and I’m looking forward to embracing equity together, so nothing holds us back in 2023.

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