Ghana’s Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has emphasized the need for urgent reforms to eliminate systemic barriers that hinder women’s advancement in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields.
Dr. Lartey appeared at the “She Power: Fueling Change, Redefining Possibilities for Women in STEM” conference delivered by Vivo Energy in Accra to express his belief that policy reforms by themselves cannot establish gender equality in these fields.
The progress of Ghana in leadership promotion for women alongside technical participation does not negate the ongoing barriers including societal expectations and inadequate mentoring and workplace discrimination that slow down women in STEM fields.
Dr. Ellen Hagan presented her demands to organizations that gender diversity should become a core strategic goal instead of symbolic initiatives.
She stressed that systematic planning and tracking methods should be used to guarantee women’s participation throughout organizational levels.
Education Officer Rhoda Enchill from UNICEF pointed out the persistence of male dominance in STEM fields despite progress in education equality since stereotypes and insufficient mentoring and expensive technical training practices continue to create barriers.
Statistics from across the country show that women make up only 14 percent of university students studying in STEM fields alongside 26 percent of all PhD graduates being women.
TVET shows the most significant gender discrepancy because girls make up only 26% of students enrolled in this field.
Vivo Energy launched multiple programs to unify these gaps which included scholarships and mentoring partnerships with academic institutions for pre-college STEM learning for young females.
The conference assembled participants to issue an active statement requiring policymakers and corporations and educators to eliminate structural obstacles that would enable women to pursue STEM careers without restrictions.
