Support initiatives that empower women, girls in STEM
Published:Thursday | June 26, 2025 | 12:08 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Globally, only 16.5 per cent of engineers are women. Historically, the field of engineering has been a typically male environment.
STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) at school were viewed more as male subjects, while females gravitated towards the humanities subjects. This gender-biased perspective and reality must be interrogated.
Disturbingly, the global community has been muted for the most part. Engineering is about innovation and problem-solving. The field of engineering requires multiple perspectives, and, as such, women and girls should be encouraged to pursue careers in engineering.
International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) is celebrated annually on June 23 to honour the outstanding achievements of women engineers and to encourage more girls and women to pursue careers in engineering.
INWED is an international awareness campaign that celebrates the work and achievements of women engineers. This year’s theme, ‘Together We Engineer’, is perfectly aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #5 that speaks to achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.
International Women in Engineering Day was launched for the first time in the United Kingdom in 2014 by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) to celebrate its 95th anniversary. Since that launch, the day has grown enormously over the subsequent years to the point where it received the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) patronage in 2016.
In 2017, International Women in Engineering Day became international for the first time due to the interest and enthusiasm developed by the international audience and participants in the previous years.
Global education systems have a vital role to play in fostering a culture that is supportive of girls pursuing STEM subjects. Female mentors too are crucial for encouraging women to pursue careers in STEM fields. On this International Women in Engineering Day, let us collectively support initiatives that empower women and girls in STEM.
WAYNE CAMPBELL