Globally, women hold a higher enrollment (114 women for every 100 men) and completion (54%) rate in terms of higher education than men. However, in STEM disciplines, men dominate, with only 35 percent of STEM graduates being female. This disparity challenges Sustainable Development Goal 5, which aims to achieve gender equality.

A nation's economic and social prosperity depends substantially on the state of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in its workforce. The STEM field has been substantial in producing thinkers, researchers, and technicians who have achieved breakthroughs in diverse fields, including energy, health, education, technology, and agriculture (food security), among others. STEM professionals have succeeded in providing solutions for global challenges, which include increasing energy access and efficiency, overcoming pandemics like COVID-19, and protecting the environment, underscoring the relevance of this field.

Despite this, women are disproportionately represented in STEM, even with its high-income potential. The underrepresentation has contributed to a significant gender income gap, given the growing demand for STEM workers. This disparity raises questions about the key drivers of gender disparity in the STEM field.

Studies have shown that social norms, stereotypes, and gender-biased learning materials are some of the primary drivers of gender gaps in STEM. Educational and classroom materials used in elementary and middle schools often portray men as professionals in science and technology, either by name or pictorial representations, while women are presented most often as classroom teachers or in service roles. These representations discourage girls from applying for STEM courses at the university and undermine their confidence in pursuing a career afterwards, upholding the perception of STEM as a man’s field. Also, the attrition rate among women in STEM resulting from discrimination, unfair treatment, and difficulty moving up the career ladder further perpetuates this gap.

Aside from those mentioned above, other factors specific to regions and countries exist. For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, the secondary school enrollment and completion rate for boys compared to girls is unequal, with boys holding 46% while girls (41%). Such enrollment numbers contribute to the gender gap in this region.

The Nigerian Case

Nigeria has closed 63.5% of its gender gap and 73.8% of its economic participation and opportunity gender gap. While this is true, it has yet to fully reflect on the country’s STEM field and tertiary education, as evidenced in the figures below.

Figure 1 shows more male enrolment in tertiary education than females in Nigeria, unlike the global numbers. The reason for this cuts across cultural, social, and religious beliefs. In Nigeria, it is common for most homes to prioritise education for boys over girls, especially in northern Nigeria, where early marriage for girls is encouraged. This practice has adversely affected the labour force participation rate between men and women.

Aside from prioritising education for men, other factors contributing to this gender gap in the STEM field in Nigeria include a lack of STEM female role models, anxiety for mathematics and other science subjects among female students, a culture of male dominance, a lack of confidence in undertaking STEM-related courses, and the difficulty of women finding work-life balance in the STEM field, leading to attrition and further widening the gap.

Given that women can increase company profit by 47 percent, their participation in STEM will no doubt benefit the economy, underscoring the importance of increasing women's participation. To achieve this, key issues hindering female involvement need to be addressed. One fundamental problem can be seen in Figure 2  above, which shows a vast gender imbalance among undergraduate students in the STEM discipline in tertiary institutions.

Figure 2 shows that among all STEM-related disciplines in Nigeria, except basic medical and health sciences, boys outnumber girls. Engineering and computing have the highest gender imbalance, which could be attributed to the mathematical nature of both courses. Meanwhile, engineering is seen as a predominantly male field, and women barely apply to study it.

Following the current state of the Nigerian economy, bridging the STEM gender gap has become paramount as Nigeria grapples with youth unemployment, insecurity, and other economic challenges. STEM education is fundamental for economic success. Thus,  closing this gap will boost youth employment and contribute to sustainable tech-enabled growth and innovation in Nigeria.

Interventions:

In collaboration with other non-governmental organisations, the Nigerian government has tried to bridge the gender gap in the STEM field. One such effort is EduChamps. EduChamps is a STEM mentoring programme funded by the U.S. government for Nigerian women and girls. The programme provides mentorship and skills training for women and girls to explore career and business opportunities in STEM. Its primary objective is to engage underserved communities to ensure gender parity and provide women and girls with the opportunity to contribute towards creating sustainable and inclusive economic prosperity.

Another effort is the National Policy on Gender Education (NPGE) by the federal government. NPGE is targeted at providing education that is gender sensitive and inclusive at all levels. Its major objectives also include increasing enrolment, retention, completion, and transition at all levels of education, providing a gender-sensitive learning environment that facilitates all-round development for Nigerian learners, and promoting equal access to quality education devoid of gender discrimination across all disciplines at all levels, among other objectives.

Call-to-Action

Through its interventions, the Nigerian government has shown commitment towards bridging gender inequality; however, more efforts are needed to achieve parity in the STEM field in Nigeria. The following actions can be considered:

• Provide scholarships for young women willing to study STEM courses: By providing scholarships, young women will be encouraged and motivated to pick STEM-related courses. This will promote gender equality and inclusivity in both education and the workforce.
• Establish mentorship programmes championed by successful female STEM professionals: Female students and early-career professionals can leverage mentorship programmes to clarify ways to achieve success in the field. This can be done through interacting with successful female STEM professionals, which will motivate the mentees to persist and pursue their STEM careers.
• Raise awareness of gender bias and the potential benefits in the STEM field: Many Nigerians, particularly women, are unaware of the benefits and gender gaps in the STEM field. Thus, raising awareness brings the issues to the forefront, triggering discussions and actions that address the disparity in this field. Also, outlining the benefits young women, particularly those in secondary school, can derive from choosing disciplines in this field can prompt young girls to take STEM-related subjects and enter the field as professionals.
• Provide and inculcate proper computer use in secondary schools: Providing and inculcating proper computer use in secondary schools, particularly in girls-only schools, will help familiarise the students with the use of computers. This will trigger essential skills and their love for STEM subjects. This action will aid inclusivity and also generate technological proficiency in the students.

By considering the following strategies, the government of Nigeria can effectively enhance the female talent pipeline in the industries and boost the number of girls pursuing STEM education in Nigeria.

Reference

Federal Ministry of Education. National Policy on Gender in Education and its Implementation. Policy Report, https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/sites/default/files/ressources/national-policy-on-gender-education-guide-new.pdf

FP Analytics. Women as Levers of Change. FP Analytics Report, https://womenasleversofchange.com/

Global EDTECH. “STEM Education Being Promoted in Nigeria Through the US Sponsored TechWomen Program.” Global EDTECH Blog, https://global-edtech.com/stem-education-being-promoted-in-nigeria-through-the-us-sponsored-techwomen-program/

National Universities Commission. “Nigerian University System Statistical Digest.” NUC Report, https://www.nuc.edu.ng/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2019-NIGERIAN-UNIVERSITY-SYSTEM-STATISTICAL-DIGEST-CONDENSED-VERSION-FINAL-2_compressed.pdf

United Nations. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs report, https://sdgs.un.org/goals

USAID. Nigerian Partners Target Female STEM Students to Increase Women in Technical Roles. USAID Blog, https://www.usaid.gov/engendering-industries/stories/nigerian-partners-target-female-STEM-students-to-increase-women-in-technical-roles

World Bank. The Equality Equation: Advancing the Participation of Women and Girls in STEM. World Bank Report, https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/d85229dc-c43c-527e-b014-bd6a37d666a8/content

World Economic Forum. Global Gender Gap Report 2020. World Economic Forum Report, https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2020.pdf