Published last week to coincide with STEM Day (November 8), a new study from CloudZero looked at all 38 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) member countries, revealing the percentage of women in STEM roles, female STEM graduates, and the number of STEM job vacancies in each country, indicating where the most opportunities exist.
Although many countries are actively promoting inclusivity and diversity in the workplace, data shows that, around the world, women only account for 24% of the STEM workforce. What’s more, the gender wage gap between men and women in STEM professions stands at $15,000.
Best countries for women in STEM
The new study declared Iceland as the best country for championing women in STEM, featuring the highest average female salary across all job roles ($79,473) and near-equal representation in STEM roles (45%).
Legislatively, Iceland has made a huge commitment to gender equality in the workplace. Various amendments have been made since 2000, including requiring companies with over 50 employees to have 40% of women and men represented on their boards. The country also has education initiatives in place that encourage young women to pursue an education in STEM. The Hjalli teaching method, for example, seeks to free young children from gender stereotypes and ensure equal opportunities in the classroom. And these efforts are continuous—as recently as last month, thousands of women across Iceland, including the prime minister, went on strike as part of a campaign pushing for greater gender equality in the country. It marked the seventh time women in Iceland have gone on strike in the name of gender equality.
Despite this success, Iceland does have one of the lowest number of STEM roles available per 1,000 female workers—just 1. This is most likely due to having a low population and an economy that focuses on other industries, including fishing and tourism.
The Netherlands is the second-best country for championing women in STEM, with the highest number of STEM roles available per 1,000 female workers. Despite the Netherlands’ high average female wage ($63,225), only 29% of the country’s female workforce are in STEM roles. Still, the Netherlands is a country that consistently strives to promote gender diversity in STEM (a topic that is covered later in this article).
The United States ranks third behind Iceland and the Netherlands. It has one of the highest average female salaries ($77,463.00), although that could be attributed to the U.S. having the highest GPD per capita. The gender wage gap is still high in the U.S. at 17%—a fact that requires further improvement across many industries. Overall, 34% of STEM graduates are women and 34% are in STEM roles.
Best countries to start a STEM career for women
The study found the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium are the top three best countries to start a STEM career for women. According to CloudZero’s study, the country offers the highest number of STEM roles per 1,000 female workers at 13. This is mostly due to having one of the highest numbers of available engineering roles—121,167.
“The Netherlands offers engineers a wide variety of opportunities, particularly in sustainability and infrastructure development. If more women were to fill these roles, the country’s 14% gender wage gap would see a significant reduction,” write the study authors.
Luxembourg also has an above-average number of STEM roles available per 1,000 female workers at 7. It boasts the second-highest average female wage of $78,310. The country excels in the financial and technology sectors—fields in which women generally receive higher salaries than they would in other industries.
The study results show Belgium is the third-best country for women to start a STEM career, with the lowest gender wage gap in the world—1%.
Belgium has strict employment policies that not only protect workers from unemployment and illness but also enforce equal wage in the workplace. This has helped lead the country to offer a high average female salary of $64,848, with 5 STEM roles available per 1,000 female workers.
Although ranked fifth (after Switzerland), the U.S. offers the highest number of job opportunities in STEM, boasting a total of 1,065,554. This is over four times higher than the next highest number seen in France, which has a total of 262,934 STEM jobs. However, out of the top 15 countries, the U.S. has the highest gender wage page (17%).
Overall, the research reveals that engineering is the STEM field with the highest number of job vacancies, providing a total of 2,124,033 opportunities worldwide. There is a huge demand for workers due to the rapid technological advancements seen across the world.
“Engineers are needed to help organizations keep up with the continuous evolution of technology,” write the study authors. “Global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company estimates that if the share of women in the tech workforce increased to 45%, Europe would be able to close the skills gap and increase its GDP. This confirms that now, more than ever, the world needs more women in STEM fields.”
Data courtesy of CloudZero. To read the full report, a case study and learn more about the study’s methodology, visit CloudZero.