Why Women in STEM is Critical for Women and WIN
Late last year, Women In Nutraceuticals (WIN) Board Member, Julia Wiebe PhD, and WIN Member Devon Gholam PhD published an article on NutraIngredients.com about the data gap that exists for women in clinical trials. It is imperative we have equal representation of women in studies to improve our outcomes and support our well-being. We aren’t just smaller versions of men—we have our own physiology!
But we need to take this back even further. One of the many reasons this data gap exists is because not enough women are involved in conducting the research. We are not only underrepresented as trial participants, but also as investigators.
Women In Nutraceuticals promotes gender equity in the C-suites of the nutraceutical industry. Yet women only represent 12.4% of chief executives in STEM occupations, according to a 2023 global gender gap report from the World Economic Forum. Overall, women represented only 29.2% of the STEM workforce in nearly 150 nations evaluated.
Both the gender data gap and lack of equal representation in the nutraceutical C-suite can be solved by getting women in positions that matter.
One solution to both issues is supporting women in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and medicine). By getting young girls interested in these areas of study, we can help them grow into forward-thinking scientists and researchers. Women investigators are more likely to inherently understand the challenges of recruiting females for clinical trials because they understand those same issues on a more personal level.
Several organizations exist help further advance girls and teens in Stem, just to name a few:
· WomeninSTEM.org: A US-based organization with chapters at the high school level to foster interest in STEM-fields
· STEMWomen.com: UK-based organization hosting networking and career events for prospective and recent STEM graduates
· Utah STEM Action Center: Division of the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement that supports all teachers and students, state-wide, in best practices for STEM education
By supporting the pursuit of science and research from a young age, we can encourage young women to chase their dreams in the sciences. More women involved in STEM fields from a young age leads to better outcomes for women’s health as well as getting more women in the C-suite. It’s a win/WIN for all of us!
