Women Empowerment

Women Empowerment: How to capitalize on the ongoing 4th industrial revolution and make the shift to STEM

The fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us. There is an urgent need for women to take advantage of the fact that for this revolution to succeed and to develop the advanced systems required for this highly digitised economy and the complexity it creates, it needs STEM experts and their fresh ideas.

Looking at future demand, we can clearly see that the global workforce is facing a deficiency of STEM experts with a significant female talent gap. According to UNESCO, women represent less than 30 percent of today’s STEM workforce worldwide. It is fair to say that we have some big skill challenges across STEM with female talent being one of the most underutilized and untapped. It is therefore vital that STEM is championed, both through investment in women and nurturing talent in girls that generates new thinking, innovation, a shift to a real love for STEM and relentless desire to inspire creative solutions.

Increasing female participation is an opportunity to address the skill and talent shortage in STEM. It is

also a unique opportunity to address long-existing gender gap and divide in the economy at this age of disruption and a way to empower women economically as they get access to jobs created in the STEM sectors.

It is important to know that women have played and continue to play vital roles in society and the economy. They account for a substantial potential talent base, empowering them yields one of the highest returns of all development investments. Therefore, competitiveness in the long term depends significantly on how women are educated, trained, and equipped to be participating agents of the 4th Industrial revolution. With STEM, women can become equipped to find sustainable jobs and lifelong careers allowing them to maximize their contributions to their communities and the economy. Capitalizing on the 4th industrial revolution and associated opportunities generated in the STEM sectors is a key enabler to women empowerment. Women must be fully conscious of it and be proactive to participate,