COMMENT • sharyn @ interactmedia. co. za
Sharyn Macnamara – editor •
CELEBRATING AND PROMOTING WOMEN IN STEMI AND MINING
In the month of August, African Mining incorporating Mining Mirror showcases the work of a number of women in the mining industry on a global level through our feature articles written by women who are experts in their fields. We also celebrate the up-and-coming women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and innovation( STEMI) fields by profiling just a few young women representing the new talent on the block in South Africa in our Cradle to Grave regular.
It is no secret that women remain underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics( STEM) fields globally. In South Africa, women comprise just 23 % of the entire employed workforce. 1 As of 2023, women represent approximately 40 % of the global STEM workforce, with significant variations across countries. 2
Furthermore, women make up over half of all students who have enrolled in tertiary education globally, however they remain considerably less likely to choose STEM fields. In 2018 – 23, new UIS data 3 released for the 2024 GEM Gender Report 4 showed that women made up only 35 % of STEM graduates, showing no progress over the past ten years. 5
McKinsey and Company adds that“ to succeed in this digitalfirst future, both women and men need to be technologists … The challenge is especially acute for women, who continue to be underrepresented in STEM.” 6 Although women are approaching parity in employment representation in Europe, they hold just 22 % of technical roles, such as developers and data engineers. Bridging this gap is critical – not just for equity, but also to fuel innovation and progress in the digital economy. 7
Despite the fact that trends show an increased focus on gender parity in new hires and greater equality in executive roles, 7 McKinsey and Company notes that there is an important missing strategy: equitable advancement in early promotion.
Also, women lose ground in the early stages of their careers due to this phenomenon. Per McKinsey’ s Women in the Workplace 2021 report, coauthored with LeanIn. Org – only 52 women are promoted to manager status against every 100 men in STEM fields. 8 The company adds that the most gender-diverse companies are 48 % more likely to outperform the least gender-diverse companies. 9
“ McKinsey and Girls in Tech describe three enablers that have helped companies repair the broken rung on the career ladder for women in technical roles: providing equitable access to skills building, implementing a structured process that seeks to debias promotions, and building a strong culture of support for women via mentors( who can provide encouragement and empathy, as well as help women work toward goals and address challenges or obstacles) and sponsors( who can create opportunities and actively advocate for the advancement of those they deem worthy). 10
“ There is something unique about retaining a woman‘ A’ player. It requires out-of-the-box thinking and creativity that we are not applying today. We wait until women are ready to leave before we get creative about giving them roles they’ ll enjoy”, – Female respondee, Chief Experience Office, Technology,( a respondee in the research programme). 10
None of this is rocket-science, and yet here we are, year after year talking about the same things. Gender should never be a barrier to aspirations and dreams. We must continue to profile role models and mentors, who with similar backgrounds to our young African generation, can be a force for good in showcasing that anything is possible with courage, hard work and planning. •
Sharyn Macnamara
References:
1. Forestry South Africa:“ Why female mentors and role models are critical in the STEM career landscape” 2. https:// www. statista. com / statistics / 1116527 / share-women-stem-country / 3. http:// data. uis. unesco. org / 4. https:// unesdoc. unesco. org / ark:/ 48223 / pf0000389406 5. https:// world-education-blog. org / 2024 / 04 / 25 / new-uis-data-show-thatthe-share-of-women-in-stem-graduates-stagnant-for-10-years /( Silvia Montoya, director of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics.)
6. https:// www. mckinsey. com / featured-insights / themes / closing-thegender-gap-in-engineering-for-a-digital-first-future?
7. https:// www. mckinsey. com / featured-insights / diversity-and-inclusion / tenthings-to-know-about-gender-equality
8. https:// www. mckinsey. com / featured-insights / diversity-and-inclusion / women-in-the-workplace-archive
9. https:// www. mckinsey. com / featured-insights / diversity-and-inclusion / diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters
10. https:// www. mckinsey. com / industries / technology-media-andtelecommunications / our-insights / repairing-the-broken-rung-on-thecareer-ladder-for-women-in-technical-roles
In 2018 – 23, new UIS data released for the 2024 GEM Gender Report showed that women made up only 35 % of STEM graduates, showing no progress over the past ten years. www. africanmining. co. za African Mining Publication African Mining African Mining • August 2025 • 3