Women in Stem: Majority believe they lack support to succeed, survey reveals

When Ms Wan NurSabrina Wan Nasarudin signed up for a mechatronics engineering diploma course in Nanyang Polytechnic after her O levels, her relatives and friends were stunned.

“Some of them said things like: ‘Will you be able to cope in engineering?’” she says.

Influenced by the gender stereotypes she grew up with, she had initially wanted to pursue accounting and business, following in the footsteps of her mother, a corporate secretary in her 50s. But when she missed the cut-off point for the course, her choices were limited to engineering, nursing and outdoor education.

“Relatives, acquaintances and even teachers suggested I should have enrolled in a ‘more feminine course’ like nursing, claiming I was better suited for a nurturing role,” says Ms Sabrina, 29.

She did not just survive her diploma course – she also found her calling in Stem, which stands for the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

She holds a master’s of science degree in robotics and artificial intelligence from the University of Glasgow in Scotland. She is also the first recipient of the PPIS-LBKM Scholarship, which was launched in 2023 by PPIS and bursary and scholarship institution Lembaga Biasiswa Kenangan Maulud, for women pursuing postgraduate studies in Stem and other selected fields.

Now an assistant manager in the National University Health System’s Artificial Intelligence Office, her work involves digital twin simulations of the National University Hospital to test scenarios involving robots.

“The challenges, innovation, problem-solving and hands-on nature of robotics engineering have provided a satisfaction I couldn’t have anticipated when reluctantly accepting my course,” she says, crediting her mother and father, a marine superintendent in his 50s, for their unstinting support.

She is married to a 32-year-old software engineer and they are expecting their first child in August.

Stem careers are growing at a furious pace, tech layoffs notwithstanding. Yet women still make up less than half that workforce.

For instance, the number of tech roles increased by 34 per cent over seven years, from around 155,500 in 2017 to about 208,300 in 2023, according to the Singapore Digital Economy Reports in 2023 and 2024 published by the Infocomm Media Development Authority.

In 2014, 29 per cent of Stem workers were women. A decade on, in 2024, that number increased by six percentage points to 35 per cent of those working in Stem, said Ms Gan Siow Huang, then Minister of State for Education and Manpower, in a speech at the launch of the non-profit United Women Singapore’s (UWS) STEMentorship Programme in February 2025.

Much has been written about the so-called “leaky pipeline”, where more women leave Stem careers over time.

However, a 2021 report by development-focused non-profit The Asia Foundation points out that the pipeline metaphor assumes there is a lack of female talent and interest in Stem.

In reality, women are pushed out of Stem at many points in life. Reasons include parents and teachers limiting their exposure to Stem subjects and instilling a gendered view of what jobs they can do, discrimination during and after the hiring process, inflexible working arrangements, and the pressures of balancing family and work.

Women who did not study Stem subjects in school are now able to do Stem jobs, thanks to new sectors and jobs created as a result of global digitalisation, said the report, Accelerating Women’s Advancement In Stem: Emerging Lessons On Network Strategies And Approaches In Asia.

In Singapore, six in 10 women say societal expectations and stereotypes are the biggest reason for the Stem gender imbalance, a recent study by UWS found.

Only 23 per cent of women believe they receive sufficient support to succeed in Stem careers in Singapore, compared with 52 per cent of men.

UWS, which aims to empower women and promote gender equality, partnered market research firm Milieu Insight to poll 1,000 Singaporeans aged 18 to 34 who are studying or in the early stages of their careers in late 2024. The project was supported by healthcare multinational company Abbott and launched in April 2025.

The survey also found that less than a third – 30 per cent – of women believe equal prospects exist in Stem, versus 41 per cent of men.

Almost half of the female respondents – 48 per cent – felt that there were persistent pay gaps in Stem, compared with only 28 per cent of male respondents.

Women helping women in Stem

Female leaders in Stem say that young women entering the workforce today have more support compared with what they experienced one or two decades ago.

The Singapore Institute of Technology’s (SIT) Associate Professor Jeannie Lee, who is in her 40s, remembers being the only girl in her computing class in junior college. She was also among a small number of female students in the information systems and computer science course at the National University of Singapore.

When she did her master’s and PhD at the Georgia Institute of Technology, she was one of a few young women studying computer science and electrical and computer engineering.

“I wasn’t able to find a female mentor during the beginning stages of my career,” says Prof Lee, who is deputy director of SIT’s Centre for Immersification and had worked as a senior software engineer in California about 10 years ago.

During job interviews here and overseas, she had frequently been mistaken for someone seeking an administrative role or forced to justify her projects and work experience, she recalls.

“There is less overt bias now. It’s more of what I can call a systemic barrier, because there is still less representation in leading technical roles, such as a chief technology officer or principal engineer,” she says.

Prof Lee notes that women make up about 25 per cent of her infocomm technology undergraduates, up from 10 per cent a decade ago. Yet, stereotypes quietly persist in her interactions with prospective students and their families.

“We should try to overcome these subtle biases that everyone has, both men and women, about what women are able to do. The same concerns that my parents expressed about my career choice are still being expressed by some parents today,” she says.

The lack of female mentors has spurred some women in Stem to set up support systems to help others.

Ms Joanne Wong recalls how she returned to work five weeks into her 12-week maternity leave after her daughter was born in 2008.

As a business group lead in a leading software multinational firm then, she felt she could not miss a critical business trip to the United States. After pivoting to tech from law, she had worked hard to prove herself in the industry.

“Nobody said I had to, but I didn’t want my peers and managers to think I was less committed,” says Ms Wong, 52, who is now chief marketing officer of cyber-security multinational firm Exabeam.

She spent the entire flight in tears over the separation from her firstborn.

“I wish someone could have told me, ‘Joanne, don’t do it. This is a very important time for bonding with your baby.’ That moment was hard, but it opened my eyes to what was missing in the system.

“It became the catalyst for everything I’ve done since to support women in their careers and in life,” says Ms Wong, who is married to a cyber-security professional in his 50s. Her children are now aged 15 and 17.

The incident affected her so much that she sought out female peers.

In her next job, at an enterprise application multinational company, she pioneered a Business Women’s Network. It set up a framework for flexible working arrangements a decade before the pandemic and was eventually adopted across the company for all employees.

She now mentors young female employees as well as female undergraduates under her company’s ExaGals network, which empowers women in technology.

Tapping male allies 

While women supporting women has been a pivotal aspect in helping female workers build viable careers in Stem, the UWS survey also highlighted the importance of male allyship and the disconnect between the genders.

About 59 per cent of women polled said male allyship was important in achieving gender equality, while only 47 per cent of men thought so.

Men also felt that work-life balance initiatives were what women want most, but women said that advocating for equal pay and promotions was the best way that men could support them.

Dr Kenneth Lee, regional medical director at Abbott, says he was surprised at the large perception gap where more than half of men thought women had sufficient support in Stem, compared with less than a quarter of women agreeing.

“Men often underestimate the influence they have in encouraging women to pursue Stem. As male allies, we can help bridge this gap by amplifying the voices and achievements of women, challenging assumptions, and co-creating environments where everyone feels seen and supported,” he says.

Ms Emily Shum, 31, a principal civil and structural engineer with CPG Consultants, says a male boss stood up for her when she was a junior engineer working on a design and build project.

“Some of the contractors said, ‘Give me a male engineer.’ My boss told them, ‘You let her try. She can do it,’” she says.

Ms Shum says she gained the contractors’ respect by showing them she was more than capable, and they developed good working relationships.

Her current male boss also entrusted her with “good projects”, and she was promoted in 2024.

“Women are naturally more observant and often offer a different perspective, so having more women in the industry provides a good balance,” she says.

Having a strong male advocate early in Ms Eleana Liew’s career had a huge impact on her.

The arts and social sciences graduate says she felt lost when she started her first job in marketing at a now-defunct tech company, where unfamiliar technical jargon was bandied about in meetings.

The then marketing director noticed her discomfort and took her under his wing, patiently explaining concepts and sending her articles to read.

“Every time he saw me, he’d quiz me – not to test me, but to help reinforce what I’d learnt and to make sure I was growing more confident in this new space,” says Ms Liew, in her late 40s, who is now managing director of Singapore at Accenture, a professional services multinational firm.

“That experience shaped how I approach learning and mentorship. His support gave me the confidence to stay the course and eventually thrive in a sector I once found intimidating.”

She now pays it forward by making time to check in with her team members – both male and female – to help them feel seen and supported. She also champions Accenture’s Women Of Worth initiative, which helps women who have taken a career break to re-enter the workforce.

For young women like Ms Constanz Wee, 22, having the confidence to break into a male-dominated domain started with the desire to learn.

The second-year accountancy undergraduate at SIT says she knew nothing about fintech before she signed up for UWS’ Stem First Fintech Programme in 2022. She had studied banking and finance in Nanyang Polytechnic.

The seven-month programme built up her self-assurance and speaking skills, and exposed her to mentors in the financial industry.

Armed with her new-found capabilities and brimming with new ideas, she won the presidency of the SIT Investment & Commerce Club, an investment club for students, in January 2025.

She is the only female in the executive committee.

“I stepped up to lead because I saw potential in the club, areas where meaningful change could be made,” she says, adding that her peers have given her their full support.

Ms Sabrina says that women should let their work speak for itself.

“Throughout my career, I’ve faced doubts and stereotypes about my capabilities as a female engineer. Rather than becoming discouraged, I channelled the scepticism into motivation,” she says.

“When others see your consistent achievements, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to maintain their biases.”

She encourages women to remain open to unexpected opportunities and to build a supportive network.

“Your unique perspective as a woman in technology is not a limitation but an asset. Diverse voices help consider different aspects or users that may have been overlooked, ensuring solutions in Stem remain inclusive to serve everyone well.”

United Women Singapore is holding its annual UWS Stem Fest on July 5, where girls and young women can find out more about careers in Stem. Admission is free. Register at uwsstemfest.com

This article was originally published in The Straits Times.