Championing women in STEM through visibility and mentorship

At SAP, a young intern Chinmayee Chinta, who currently works in the IT Department, reflects on how the company's values of innovation and growth have shaped her experience. "Seeing women in leadership—whether or not you aspire to those roles—is inspiring. It reinforces that success is achievable with effort, and witnessing women balancing their careers and personal lives is truly motivating for me," says Chinmayee. 
This speaks to the old quote, "it's hard to be what you can't see".  |

As a mum of 28-year-old twin girls and having spent more than three decades working in technology, fostering an environment that supports young female talent is crucial to me. I believe it's important to ensure that we not only provide the skills, but also spotlight positive role models to encourage more of Australia's young girls and women pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).    
While the number of women in STEM-qualified occupations increased by 68% from 2012 to 2022, there is a still a lot of work to do before Australian girls and women have an equal opportunity to learn, work and engage in STEM.

The challenges in attracting and retaining women in these fields begin early and compound as progression to more senior careers is made. Girls' confidence in STEM subjects is generally lower than boys, and continues to fall as they grow older, now more than ever.  A consequence is fewer women pursue STEM careers, resulting in a scarcity of female role models in fields like AI and data science, making it harder for young women to picture themselves in these roles. In Australia, women hold only 23% of senior management positions and a mere 8% of CEO roles in STEM-qualified industries.

I believe that there are three ways businesses can help when it comes to attracting and retaining girls and women in STEM:  

• Mentorship: Include gender inclusive practices to encourage interest and learning
• Open path to leadership: Ensure equal access to top positions
• Adaptable workplace approaches: Designed to fit employees' role and style 

Mentorship 

Female mentors and role models play a critical role in encouraging young women to take up certain careers – and this is visibly prevalent in STEM. When it's evident that women are thriving in STEM roles, it influences young girls to envision themselves in such positions. 
SAP runs a Student Training and Rotation (STAR) Intern Program which is recognised by the Australian Association of Graduate Employers as one of the top programs in the country. Our current enrolment for the STAR program includes 37 new graduates, with 57% female representation. 

A STAR intern, Christina Zheng, rotated across three teams over two years while in university before she was employed by SAP. Her final rotation was in her current team, where she believes she has found her passion - helping customers optimize their cloud products and services. "Being part of the STAR Intern Program has shown me how mentorship and hands-on learning shape a career. Rotating across teams helped me discover my interests, while mentors guided my growth. Seeing women professionals at SAP grow and succeed reinforced my belief to pursue a career in STEM."

Companies must ensure they implement gender-inclusive practices to support learning. SAP Young Thinkers supports teaching hands-on to inspire young people at secondary and vocational schools – as well as curious IT beginners – to learn about computer and data science and the economy. 

Open path to leadership 

It's crucial that businesses create clear pathways for women to rise into leadership roles, where they can make impactful decisions and serve as role models for the next generation.  At SAP, women currently make up 30.1% of the workforce, with 41% of leadership roles held by women. According to the latest data published by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), organisations across Australia have a key opportunity to drive greater gender balance in the workforce and leadership and foster a more inclusive future. One channel we use at SAP is our SAP Business Women's Network (BWN). The SAP BWN is the largest employee resource group at SAP, with more than 15,000 members around the world, dedicated to helping women advance their careers and access opportunities to grow their skills and expertise.

Adaptable workplace approaches 

To retain female talent in STEM industries, it's critical to provide adaptable work options. Women face barriers to advancing in their careers due to lack of flexible work arrangements, especially those with personal responsibilities. Without flexibility, it can be difficult to balance these responsibilities with career aspirations, leading to career stagnation. SAP encourages flexible work arrangements in an inclusive environment that enables everyone to work, grow and thrive in a way that fits their role, individual lifestyle and circumstances while continuing to meet business and customer needs. We believe in a work environment where everyone feels welcomed, valued, and supported, and can fulfil their career aspirations, whatever they may be.

For Australia's STEM sector to flourish, businesses must take a comprehensive approach to addressing the barriers women face. Technology has the power to help overcome barriers and create equal opportunities for all. It is important for organisations and the people who lead them to use their voice, to advocate and empower young female talent while creating inclusive work environments.