The wake of the 21st century has seen more development in technology than we are willing to admit. Here are some of the newest innovations coming out of the STEM world, just to name a few:

TESLA’s electric, self-driving car.

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Doc from Back to The Future would probably agree that we are well into our flying cars stage. With all these advances, it is important to note that none of those inventions were made by women and there is where the problem lies.

A study found that women account for only 8% of all patent holders and even less in places like Germany (3.2%). Amazingly enough, the research shows much of the disparity involves the lack of women in engineering, science and development positions. In the next few years, the STEM fields will become increasingly important as we move toward one of the most technological evolutions in history.

4 Basic Reasons Why We Need More Women In STEM

1) Social Impact

Understanding why women choose certain careers is a subject long studied. We know that having a positive social impact is a strong motivator for why women adopt a certain career. Despite the stigma that disconnects the STEM fields from social impact, it is no accident that most inventions are created by men in the engineering and science fields.

The reason is because these professions learn to design and create solutions out of real world dilemmas. The STEM fields do have great social impact and they tend to solve problems we face in day to day life. More women in the STEM fields would see to it that we had greater social impact in a world where the hardest thing to do is empathize.

2) Diverse Spin on New Inventions

In my past design projects, I have often had to work with large groups of young men and I was the only lady. I enjoyed it and learned a lot about how similarly we all interact with each other! However, I did realize that we thought very different when it came to new ideas. Almost opposite at times.

Through history, our differences have been painted as a negative but I dare to argue that our differences are imperative to the betterment of mankind! Women are phenomenal creatures who have phenomenal perspectives and if we all work together, perhaps we will find solutions we never thought possible. Women could bring in diverse ideas that might have never even been contemplated before.

3) Future Jobs!

As the climate shifts and we change, the human experience is becoming more and more digital with less reliance on traditional practices such as postal delivery services or “snail mail”. With these changes, we see a drift toward information technology and that is where most of the jobs of the future will come from. I would love it if women could be at the fore-front of running the future managerial job market! Below is a chart highlighting the jobs of the future (it does not include medical fields because that is a whole other chart)

Add up some numbers and the chart above shows that 46% of the jobs will be in STEM related fields which is a large percent of employment opportunities. And with the exception of financial mangers and Wall Street moguls, the jobs left are mostly stuck in sales which generally do not pay as much.

4) School Of Thought

Engineering is often painted as a profession routed only in numbers but that is hardly the case! I would say the main job an engineer has is using numbers and science to solve any given problem! It is where innovation lives! Now those problems are often connected to machinery and infrastructure but the problem you could be facing could be anything from uncomfortable heels to renovating a flooded basement. Whatever the problem, it takes a certain level of creativity to suggest a solution. I think increasing more women in STEM will introduce a level of creativity that we may have never envisioned. It will also help women in terms of understanding risk and thinking critically.

Have you noticed an increase in women in your fields? And how do you think it affects your work environment? I love having discussions so please Comment, Like & Share!

Written By: Jennifer Ladipo

MUST READ: Top 4 Reasons Why Women Should Be In STEM