It can be nerve wracking to put your head above the parapet but when it comes to encouraging women into filling jobs that can help change society for good, but are more traditionally taken by men, then I’m happy to talk about my experiences.

At the end of 2022, I was a guest on a national radio show talking about National STEM Day, a global initiative to encourage more children, and specifically girls and those from diverse backgrounds, into STEM subjects and careers.

I was invited onto the show, as a young female employee in an engineering firm, to tell listeners about my journey through education, what drove my career choices and my first impressions as a new employee in what’s considered a male profession.

Emma Davies is a member of W. L. Gore & Associates’ Product and Chemical Stewardship Team.

It was out of my comfort zone, but it’s so important that young people consider these subject choices at school and what they can mean for their future.

For me, it was a no-brainer to pursue engineering. I loved maths and chemistry at school. I was also fortunate to have an inspiring female chemistry teacher who encouraged me to pursue chemical engineering at University, and I’ll be forever grateful.

At University I was one of three girls in a class of over forty boys, with all male teachers too. According to the recent UCAS data provided by HESA, 35 per cent of STEM students in higher education in the UK are women, but when it came to the subjects of engineering, technology and computer sciences, only 19 per cent were female. This needs to change and it can do, slowly, if more women talk about their great experiences studying STEM subjects.

Having strong STEM qualifications helped me secure an intern position at WL Gore & Associates, a global materials science firm with offices in Dundee and Livingston. I was fortunate to join its Product and Chemical Stewardship Team.

There’s definitely a stereotype that engineers are all white men. I’m happy to say that’s not the case at Gore. We have an approximate 50/50 gender split and our most senior figure is a woman. Sheona Barlow started on reception aged just 16 and now she is Plant Leader. Strong female representation at the top is so inspiring to young women like me.

Gore also has many initiatives to support ‘diverse’ talent. For example, its Women’s Inclusion Council was created with the objective of supporting the success of female talent. It’s a new global initiative that teaches skills and refines the enterprise’s ability to influence leaders and remove barriers that impede gender representation, equity, and inclusion. Women on the Council have to dedicate around 10 per cent of their time to the initiative, so you can see how seriously it’s taken. This initiative is also one the many reasons for Gore performing well on the Great Places To Work for Women Index. Regardless of whether I choose to join or not, it’s reassuring to have an employer that values everyone.

My hope is that all engineering firms are one day like this, but I know from speaking to many of my chemical engineering student friends that it’s not yet the case.

STEM subjects are at the heart of the jobs of the future – data, science, medicine, digital transformation and technology. Those skills will help us solve climate change, the energy crisis and the next pandemic. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that? I wouldn’t want young people to miss out on being part of a global solution because they didn’t understand what they had to do to get there.

Emma Davies is a member of WL. Gore & Associates’ Product and Chemical Stewardship Team

Women working in STEM must speak up to encourage others - Emma Davies

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