SINGAPORE - It is important for the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or Stem, industry to work with schools and parents, to paint a more accurate reflection of careers in Stem, said Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling on Tuesday.
The study highlighted three key barriers to getting young women to enter Stem careers: an intergenerational personal experience as a subconscious barrier, lack of exposure to Stem careers and female representation, and misconceptions of the true nature of jobs in Stem. Ms Sun noted the various initiatives by UWS to expose young women to Stem jobs. One of them is Stem First Fintech Programme, which aims to equip young women to go into their tertiary studies and working life with confidence in their abilities to control their own pathway into the fintech field.
Ms Sun also spoke on the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of the Stem industry. “Stem is fast-growing not just because of the Stem industry as a standalone, but because it has become a foundational layer that goes to every single industry,” she said, citing the example of digital payments in the food-and-beverage industry.