‘Girls need to see more women in STEM to stay in the field’ - Lecturer

John Perlman speaks to lecturer at the Stellenbosch University's Physics Department, Dr Yaseera Ismail.

Listen below:

Women have played key roles in science for centuries.

However, women have not had equal access to opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Many female scientists have also not received recognition for their hard work and discoveries.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science is used to raise awareness of the difficulties women may face and promote the benefits of women in this field.

Ismail says more young women are showing interest in science in school and university, but the retention rate of women working in STEM is very low.

“We really do have a far way to go.”

- Dr Yaseera Ismail, Lecturer at the Department of Physics at the University of Stellenbosch 

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She says women face challenges such as implicit biases and systematic barriers, which make it difficult to pursue careers in STEM.

She believes young girls need to see more women working in STEM at higher levels so they are not discouraged from pursuing careers.

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.