By Nici Bush, Vice President, Innovation, Science and Technology
According to the recently published “Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities and Persons with Disabilities 2023(Opens a new window),” from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, we’re making progress with women choosing careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields — which is fantastic news. But we still have a long, long journey ahead before we see anywhere near equal representation of women in STEM.
The International Day of Women & Girls in Science(Opens a new window) is the perfect time to reflect on what leaders — women and men — can do to encourage more women to step into STEM careers, then nurture their ambitions to ensure their careers flourish. My journey in STEM started early, with a biology teacher as a mum and an early interest in science at school. I went on to get a master’s degree in chemistry at university, but it wasn’t always easy. My classes were less than 20% female, and I found I’d doubt myself before speaking up. I didn’t enjoy feeling small.
There are a few things I have learned in my 30 years in business about how to flourish in a career in STEM:
Strive for equal representation.
The problems we work to solve with math and science aren’t just math and science problems — they are often issues facing society as a whole. For example, today’s environmental crisis is an unprecedented global challenge, and at Mars one of the challenges our scientists are working on is the development of more sustainable packaging. Society is around 51% female, and if your workforce demographics don’t match the population demographics one thing is certain: women’s voices aren’t being heard. It’s vital to have the right balance of diversity of both gender and expertise in the field, and if our workplace isn’t striking that balance, it’s up to leaders in the industry to address the problem.
Put people first.
Pursuing a career in a STEM field doesn’t mean you’re hunched over a computer or microscope all day. Nearly any career in STEM involves working on a team and being a great team member and leader — and it requires emotional intelligence in addition to scientific intelligence. At Mars, a number of our STEM professionals work in manufacturing; I was no exception, with 15 years in roles in factories and supply chains. I started leading teams of 60 people on a work shift, through Plant Management of more than a thousand Associates, through to leading global supply chains of multiple factories and warehouses with tens of thousands of people all to make and deliver high-quality products loved by our consumers. Expanding our vision of how STEM professionals can impact businesses — inside and outside the lab — will improve the experience women have on the job and give businesses a critical edge by fully utilizing all the talents and skills our women STEM professionals offer.
Be a “real” role model.
Female leaders in STEM fields owe it to girls and women pursuing a path in science, technology, math and engineering to be open, supportive mentors. It’s not enough to hire women into STEM jobs — women need to feel heard, supported and championed in science. We need STEM role models in attainable positions so there are examples of success no matter where a person is in their career. I am always careful to use the term role model without being more specific — this is not about being perfect, and success is not about hiding the challenges we face. People want “real “role models they can relate to. Someone close to their current position — not eight steps above, but one or two. Mentors can help other women see how they can have a fulfilling, successful career in science and in business. Whether you’re five years, 15 years or 30 years into your career, you can inspire and encourage another woman in this field.
I’m proud that some of our greatest recent scientific discoveries at Mars have been led by women. I’m proud that 60% of our leaders in R&D at Mars are female. But none of these, significant as they are, are permission for complacency. In fact, the opposite: Now is the ideal time to power up our efforts to encourage even more young girls and women to pursue careers in STEM.
Science, businesses and the world will be better because of it.
