Why STEM-for-Girls?
The Problem
In Nigeria and Africa, despite the problem of having fewer women and girls studying STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths), when it comes to jobs in these fields, the gender gap remains wider. There are various reasons for this gap.
- Girls are often less encouraged to go into STEM fields
- Lack of specifically designed programs to motivate girls into the field of STEM
- Jobs in this industry tend not to be very flexible and are therefore perceived as less female-gender-friendly
- There is Distinct lack of female role models locally available for girls in STEM fields.
Data from our educational and career sector indicates that only 7.5 to 11% professionals in STEM related careers are women: less than 8% are mechanics, under 12% electrical or computer hardware/software engineers are women.
Moreover, in computer science and STEM related careers, the trend is going in the wrong direction. While 37% of all computer science graduates in 2010 were women, in 2015 that number had dropped to just about 18%.
Despite these discouraging statistics, it’s not all doom and gloom for girls and women who want to work in STEM fields.
The Solution
We designed a set of dedicated and inspiring programs (both for-in-school/out-of-school) that are tackling the issues women face in the field of STEM, working towards a gender balanced future in STEM.
This is our flagship program aimed at narrowing/minimizing the STEM-Gender gap through Mind the Gap Project.
The Mind the Gap Project addresses the STEM-gender gap in Nigeria and African countries by bringing in more women into the STEM career space.
Through The Mind the Gap project, we form alliance(s) with development partners and groups, individuals and organizations that are interested in promoting STEM subjects to women
We deploy train-the-trainers programs aimed at training teachers and supporting them with hands-on curriculum resources and supporting girls throughout their education, connecting them with mentors while exposing them to inspiring role models in STEM.
Through our Queen Afrique STEM Academy, we run two types of programs: a summer immersion program and after-school clubs where girls, kids aged 5 to 12 and youths can explore computer coding in a fun, safe and gender-friendly learning environment.
Through our designed STEM-on-Wheel solution, we run community projects that break down gender stereotypes to foster girls’ excitement for STEM projects and thereby connecting them to learning and mentorship.
Why Girls?
Educating girls to pick up STEM careers helps everyone.
When you educate a girl through STEM, you reduce her lifetime HIV and social risks.
When you educate a girl to pick up a career in STEM fields, she fits into the future of work and the digital economy, marries later, delays pregnancy, and has fewer children – becoming more economically self reliant.
When you educate a girl, you get intergenerational socio-economic benefits as her children are healthier and more likely to get educated too.
A child whose mother has STEM education is 50% more likely to live past age 5.
When you educate a girl in a STEM career, you increase the economic standing of the household and the entire community.
Educating women and girls to fit into the future of work and the digital economy can make them reinvest 90% of their income into their families, compared to 30% for men.
When you educate a girl in STEM related careers, every one extra year of education could increase her wages by 10-20%.
When a country educates its girls to fit into the future-of-work its GDP increases.
