Leaving STEM Skills on the Table

Young female tech or scientist performs protein assay | Image Credit: © tilialucida - stock.adobe.com

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which was recognized on Feb. 11, 2025. There has traditionally been an unbalanced gender gap in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) that is limiting the potential of skilled workers in the pharmaceutical industry. According to the United Nations, fewer than 30% of engineering graduates are women (1). Women also face unique challenges in these fields, including a lack of opportunity in senior positions. With the demand for highly skilled personnel high, what is the bio/pharmaceutical industry doing to encourage girls to enter STEM fields and women to pursue higher level jobs in pharma?

Michelle Bridenbaker, COO, Unbiased Science, stresses the critical nature of STEM programs in developing talent and ensuring a sustainable, and relevant, workforce. “In terms of the pharma industry specifically, a strong scientific background is a solid foundation for the rigor, discipline, and critical as well as innovative thinking that modern pharma success is built on,” says Bridenbaker. “As employers, pharma companies need to actively encourage women through mentorship and leadership preparation, so that they see and realize their full potential.”

Opportunities for STEM-related jobs in the pharmaceutical industry are abundant and are continuing to grow, according to Agnes Cwienczek, director of Product Management at ArisGlobal. It is crucial to foster education in these fields to meet the growth of technology.

“While more and more pharma companies have established dedicated STEM programs and are fostering related career paths, men continue to outnumber women in this field across the globe, particularly at the higher levels,” says Cwienczek. “It should be in our collective interest to invest further in these kind of promotions—not only for purposes of equality but also to capitalize on the skills and significant contributions made by women to science and research.”

Fostering access to STEM fields

Gender ‘norms’ often inhibit girls from entering what are traditionally seen as school subjects that are ‘for boys’. Pushing back on these stereotypes is crucial, not just for girls, but also for boys. Equal access to STEM fields without labeling specific areas as ‘gender-specific’ is important for STEM programs, says Sabine Gölden, eLearning & Training Lead at MAIN5.

“Gender should never be the basis for deciding which field of study is right for you, regardless of any evolutionary advantages or disadvantages,” says Gölden. “Ultimately, someone’s path should be determined by their unique talents, passion, dedication, and interests, not by their gender. As a mother of two, I observe with great interest how societal expectations continue to shape role models,” remarks Gölden. “A clear example is toy advertisements—on many popular websites, you can filter toys by ‘Boys’ or ‘Girls,’ resulting in distinctly different suggestions. And this is just one of many examples. That’s why I strongly believe STEM programs in schools are a valuable opportunity to challenge stereotypes and give every student the chance to discover whether STEM is the right fit for them.”

To foster interest in science and engineering for girls, exposure to these fields at an early age is imperative. “STEM programs for girls in school play a crucial role in fostering interest, confidence, and skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics,” explains Jean Redmond, the chief operating officer at Biologit. “These programs provide early exposure to a wide range of career possibilities, helping to break down stereotypes and encourage more girls to pursue STEM fields. Given that technology and data-driven roles are often male-dominated, targeted initiatives can help bridge the gender gap and ensure that young women feel supported in pursuing these careers.”

Bridenbaker concurs. “Everything starts at school in terms of cultivating ambition and a sense of what you can achieve,” she says. “When I was at school and passionate about science, I was at times discouraged from pursuing this as a specialist subject and career on the basis that this would be a tough path for a woman and for raising a family; it was suggested instead that being a teacher was more realistic. Actively promoting STEM subjects to girls from an early age is essential to cultivate their passion, talent, and ambition, first so they have a vision and then so that they believe in themselves enough to pursue it.”

For example, a passion for science led Alex Tabbitt, quality control microbiologist at SERB Pharmaceuticals to study biology and chemistry and pursue a degree in forensic investigation. “I think there could be more done to encourage girls through school,” says Tabbitt. “The sciences can be hard and inaccessible, which could be tackled. I was always most engaged by the practical side of my studies—the experiments and the chance to see science in action. Perhaps more could be done to link what is learned in the classroom to its significance in the real world.”

Redmond points to programs like Girls Who Code, which helps girls build coding and AI skills, as gateways for women in healthcare industries. “By increasing representation in STEM fields, these initiatives help drive diversity in leadership and innovation in pharma and biotech,” Redmond says. “Additionally, mentorship, networking, and industry partnerships further support women in transitioning from education to impactful careers.”

Support and advancement

Ensuring women have access to grants and jobs in STEM fields requires a ‘multi-faceted approach’ of financial support, mentorship, and changes in cultural norms, asserts Redmond. Having dedicated funding and education opportunities, including internships, for women can increase access to these STEM areas.

“Mentorship plays a key role, and many companies have established internal or external mentorship programs,” says Redmond. “Professional networks play a key role. I have personally benefitted from the incredible network of women from the IQVIA WIN ERG that has lasted over many years, and engaging in these groups can lead to many opportunities such as exposure to networking events, conferences, collaboration, and job opportunities.”

“The pharma industry should absolutely be investing in and promoting STEM career paths for girls,” says Bridenbaker. “It’s incumbent on them to do so. It’s about investing in a sustainable talent base, and about doing the right thing by half of the population. Not to mention accessing the many inherent leadership qualities that women bring to the table, and as drivers of technology-based process innovation.”

Gölden points to the concept of the "leaky pipeline", which describes how women are more likely to leave STEM fields at various stages of their careers, as a factor for the lack of women in these job positions. “From my perspective the leak arises mostly from the challenge of ‘working motherhood’,” says Gölden. “There are already great set-ups as maternity leave, that jobs are held, more and more flexible working models and so on, but it is not yet enough to fully enable mothers to be able to master the work-motherhood challenge.”

While Bridenbaker believes the advancement of women in STEM fields is improving, more could be done. She points to countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, and Nordic countries, that actively protect women in the workplace by providing maternity and paternity leave and good work-life balance practices as having a head start in creating, and maintaining, STEM jobs for women. “Without good policies here, economies and employers are putting at risk a significant proportion of their workforce and future talent base, and by extension their long-term sustainability,” she says.

“Creating a supportive workplace is vital, with active promotion, by example,” says Cwienczek. “Also, ensuring a degree of flexibility and allowance for a heathy work-family balance; though, this is not relevant only for STEM fields.”

“In particular for women, a focus on supporting a return to work following maternity leave is a crucial area where women can benefit from support in their careers,” agrees Redmond. “Finally, increasing visibility of successful women in STEM provides role models and helps shift industry norms. Providing remote work, flexible hours, and parental leave options helps retain women in STEM careers.”

Visit PharmTech.com for more coverage on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

Reference

1. UN. International Day of Women and Girls in Science, 11 February. UN.org (accessed Feb. 7, 2025) https://www.un.org/en/observances/women-and-girls-in-science-day/