Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Ahead of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science this Saturday, 11 February, I'm pleased to stand today to join my colleagues in supporting the day, which aims to promote the full and equal access and participation of females in innovation, science, technology, engineering and mathematics. I'd also like to commend the member for McPherson for the considerable work she undertook as the former Minister for Industry, Science and Technology in implementing policies to advance women in these fields.

The traditional thinking that girls simply do not perform as well as boys in maths and science is antiquated and untrue. The OECD's program for international student assessment in 2018 indicated that girls performed on a similar level to boys in maths and science but on a much higher level in reading and had stronger performance across humanities in general, which is perhaps the reason why females tend to pursue studies in these areas over STEM. With women making up only 36 per of enrolments in university STEM courses and just 16 per cent of enrolments in vocational STEM courses, the tide has been slow to turn. As the education system looks to how to further engage and encourage female students to pursue STEM subjects so, too, must the workplace. The Advancing Women in STEM report noted the following:

The causes of the inequality in STEM participation are broad, complex and long-standing. Cultural issues such as bias and stereotyping shape girls and women's views of STEM from an early age. STEM working environments, which are often male dominated and can have strongly hierarchical natures, can support a higher risk of issues such as sexual harassment.

In northern Tasmania, a female scientist recently shared with me the challenges she faced in the workplace that accurately represents some of the findings found in the coalition's report. A brilliant mind with a passion for her work, this constituent, who prefers to remain anonymous, battled what she called 'obstructive' and 'challenging' behaviour from male superiors, including being told, 'This is why we don't hire young females,' after suffering hyperemesis while pregnant. In another meeting, she spoke up for a colleague after it was openly discussed whether the colleague should be trained in X because 'she's at an age now where she will surely go off and have a family soon, so it wouldn't be a good investment'. While receiving support from some superiors, the discrimination faced by my constituent due to both of her gender and her disability as someone living with multiple sclerosis eventually led her to leave the job and the field entirely. I do know this would not be the experience of every female working in science but it's clearly not just the exception at this point and it perfectly illustrates why this year's theme of promoting equal access and participation of females in STEM is so important.

For local northern Tasmanians working in STEM or looking to pursue a career in the area, a fantastic group of women have growth created a group who call themselves the Launceston STEMinists. Comprising of geologists, viticulturalists, optometrists, natural science experts, physicists, technologists, science educators and PhD students, the group meets casually to discuss challenges and successes in working in the STEM field. Unfortunately, the experience of many of these women also highlights the lack of progress science and engineering fields have made in supporting women who also choose to have a family, acknowledging that stepping away to take maternity leave in these competitive fields risks coming back to less-than-desirable career options. And, while the support of other women is necessary, the STEMinists are spot-on when they discuss the importance of men taking on more active roles. 'It's not women who need to go to diversity lunches,' says geologist Claire Mawdesley.

In recent years, employers and organisations have been turning their minds to how to proactively support the pathways for girls and women looking to pursue studies and employment in these fields. In 2017, Science & Technology Australia launched Superstars of STEM, described as a game-changing initiative to smash gender assumptions about who can work in science, technology, engineering and maths. As part of the program, recipients receive training and development in using social media and gaining media coverage and speaking opportunities to share their work and inspire others to follow in their footsteps. One of the first superstars chosen was my own region's Dr Fiona Kerslake, a viticultural researcher and a member of the Launceston STEMinists. As a mum of a daughter, Dr Kerslake admitted that she's hopeful that the program will not be necessary when it comes to her own daughter choosing a career. 'I want her to go into any field and gender not be an issue,' Dr Kerslake said.

Finally, you can't be what you can't see. To all the women in STEM of today, thank you for paving the path for the women and girls that will follow.

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