Recent research conducted by MetLife highlights the urgent need for women in STEM fields to help identify solutions to global socio-economic challenges.
The report on women and STEM reveals that the majority of employees at U.S. companies surveyed are concerned about the slow progress being made in this area.
They believe that having more women in STEM is crucial for moving forward.
However, women in STEM still face various barriers to career progression.
MetLife's previous research in 2020 and 2021 found that women left the workforce in alarming numbers during the pandemic, and they faced obstacles when trying to return.
Although some progress has been made, there are still significant obstacles to achieving STEM equality.
Women in STEM are almost twice as likely to consider leaving the workforce, with a lack of diversity, stress, burnout and others getting promoted ahead of them being the top reasons cited in the research.
Additionally, there are fewer women in STEM leadership positions.
The survey found that women in STEM leadership roles, including people managers, team leaders, and executive leadership, fell by 14%, indicating a widening representation gap.
Despite these challenges, almost half of women view STEM as an innovative and impactful field that can help solve major societal challenges.
This presents a significant opportunity for employers to improve how they attract, develop, and retain female STEM talent.
The MetLife research suggests ways for employers to encourage women to pursue careers in STEM, such as offering increased flexibility, career progression opportunities, a purpose-driven culture, and creating a more inclusive workplace.
The Women in STEM Study conducted by MetLife was carried out in September 2022. The study consisted of two surveys. The employer survey included interviews with HR and benefits decision-makers at organizations with STEM employees.
The employee survey involved a representative sample of 2,423 interviews with people in the U.S. workforce between the ages of 18 to 65.
