Navigating Career Obstacles/Leadership for Women in Stem

According to the Chief Scientist’s Australia’s STEM Workforce Report, women comprise only 16% of the qualified STEM workforce and are less likely to be in higher paid, senior roles.

The research on science leadership is unequivocal – women have a harder time advancing their careers because of the widespread cultural stereotype of scientists as men and the activities of science as intertwined with masculinity.

There is plenty of evidence to show that at almost every step of the STEM pipeline, women face inequities such as implicit biases and discrimination (Moss-Racusin et al. 2012), gender stereotyping (Bell 2009), caring obligations (Eagly 2007), a lack of role models, and masculine management cultures (Ely, Ibarra & Kolb 2011).

It is not the job of women in STEM to ‘fix’ workplace gender bias. It is up to science organisations to address structural inequality. However, institutional change does not happen overnight. This resource provides strategies and advice for women in STEM on navigating gendered career obstacles and enhancing leadership capacities.