STEM Women founder on “cookie-chasing” phenomenon of men merely describing themselves as allies to the female agenda
First Women Exclusives · November 25, 2015
A report issued by Engineering UK, “The State of Engineering”, projected that the shortage of skills in STEM fields could cost the British economy up to £27bn a year. Businesses need to be hiring 182,000 engineers annually until 2022 – but where are they going to find these engineers?
Encouraging more females into the industry is one way the government can bridge this gap. It seems our failure to inspire girls into this field is hurting the economy and also cutting us off from a pool of potential talent. Female engineers will also bring into practice a diversity of ideas and solutions just by virtue of having a different perspective and experience of life.
Buddhini Samarasinghe, science communicator and founder of STEM Women, is of the belief that men need to actively be allies in all aspects of their lives, not just describe themselves as allies and then expect praise, aka an “ally cookie”.
To find out more how men can become allies to the cause, read the full article on Real Business.
