STEM: An unexplored field full of opportunities for Costa Rican girls and women

The exciting thing about innovation is that it always moves us forward. Those who design and create new processes based on science are undoubtedly improving what we know; and many of these projects will be related to improving health; that means that innovations that will -improve lives in the near future will be designed by young people who right now are studying high school.

Maybe it is your daughter who invents a new process for producing a medical device that will help people live their lives to the fullest; but only time will tell. Therefore, while the future reaches us, it is essential to continue supporting girls and young women to have greater access and support them to integrate into careers related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics – STEM (for its acronym in English), which continue to be in high demand in the labor market.

STEM education arose from the need for young people to build an integrated and coordinated knowledge between different disciplines to be able to solve complex real-life problems through analytical and critical thinking.

Many countries are investing in education and human capital that will require better technological skills and competencies if they want to be competitive in the future. In fact, a study presented by the Institute of Research in Economic Sciences (IICE) of the University of Costa Rica (UCR) concluded that the careers with greater professional demand in the future will be those belonging to the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics[1].

According to the Costa Rican Coalition of Development Initiatives (Cinde), in 2018, companies in Costa Rica created 12,961 new jobs related to STEM, and for the end of 2022, they will have created 35 thousand new jobs[2]. 

However, STEM-related professions have traditionally been perceived as a male-dominated world; in this regard, data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) indicate that only 35% of students enrolled in these careers are women and only 28% of researchers are women.

In Costa Rica, the gap between men and women within STEM-related professions is similar, since only 30% of its students enrolled in an undergraduate engineering career are women, according to the data of the Office of Planning of the Technological of Costa Rica. Also, it is important to highlight that only 24% of those working in engineering or technology fields in Costa Rica are women[3].  

In this context, the study of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) "Reinvest in the Americas" points out the importance of considering gender equity and inclusion as fundamental axes of economic efforts to promote sustainable economic recovery in the region, for which the participation of girls, youth and women in STEM is indispensable.

Looking to close the gender gap in STEM

At Abbott, a health care company that creates breakthrough products – in diagnostics, medical devices, nutrition and branded generic pharmaceuticals – that help communities lead healthier lives, full of unlimited possibilities, women are developing technologies applied to the process and production of products available in the market, with the aim of improving lives.

In Costa Rica, Abbott has grown steadily and has professional and expert women with the ability to create and operate new technologies that have an impact in people’s health and life.  In addition, the company seeks to close the gender gap in STEM through a scholarship program for young women. In this year, 23 women studying an engineering carrer at the University of Costa Rica and the Technological Institute of Costa Rica were awarded with scholarships.

Keyla Acosta, Human Resources Director at Abbott noted that "by having women equally represented in any field, the world has the chance to experiment their intellectual capacity to collaborate and solve the biggest problems. So if a young woman’s dream is to create technology to help everyone have a better quality of life, we have to support her to find a space where she develops her intellectual and practical capacities under an equal environment, that allows her to innovate and create new paths for human development".

Let’s not forget that the more diverse and equitable a company is, the better the results will be as there will be a wide range of ideas and perspectives to understand and solve the challenges, in fact since 2016, half of the interns in Abbott’s Costa Rica programs have been women., globally, the inclusive practices of Abbott have earned it the recognition as one of the top 50 companies for diversity by the publication DiversityInc.

Today, there are still challenges to closing the gender gap in STEM, but the implementation of entrepreneurial actions brings us closer to more women developing in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It is important to continue to combat gender stereotypes, provide support to girls in STEM education from an early age, and work with mentors and role models so that our girls and young people see that it is possible to build a successful future in these areas.