[Reading Science] Developer Starting Salary 6 Million? ... Female STEM Workforce Still Treated as 'Cold Rice'

The proportion of hired personnel still below 30%
Career interruption rate much higher than women in other majors
"Women must develop STEM skills alongside institutional support"

Reference photo. Seoul Propolis researchers are conducting propolis component tests in the laboratory. This is not related to the article.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] In the post-COVID-19 era, demand for personnel with science and engineering backgrounds is increasing, but female scientists and engineers are still being treated like "second-class citizens." Although their numbers are gradually rising, the overall hiring rate for women remains much lower than that for men, and the rate of career interruption due to pregnancy and childcare is higher than that of women in other fields. It is pointed out that women need to strategically develop their capabilities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields and prepare accordingly.

According to the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) and the Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (WISET), digitalization across all industries has surged since the COVID-19 outbreak, leading to a sharp increase in demand for programming, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Specifically, the normalization of remote classes has accelerated digitalization in education, the use of smartphones for managing incoming travelers has strengthened smart healthcare, the prolonged social distancing has led to a resurgence of the virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) industry, the use of robots to prevent infection and reduce labor uncertainties has increased, and consensus on eco-friendly and renewable energy industries has rapidly progressed.

Accordingly, there is a high demand for talents from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. However, the proportion of female personnel remains low. In the second half of 2020, the share of new hires from science and engineering fields was about one-third of the total, but women accounted for only 28.9%, while men made up 71.1%, more than 2.5 times higher.

In particular, the rate of career interruption among women majoring in science and engineering was higher than that of women in humanities and social sciences or other fields. Women scientists and engineers who quit their jobs due to marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare are not returning to their positions. According to the 2019 first half regional employment survey by Statistics Korea, the career interruption rate for women in science and engineering was 57.8%, significantly higher than humanities and social sciences (51.5%), medical fields (56.8%), and other fields (48.2%). The overall average was 52.3%. Specifically, among 910,715 married women graduates (associate degree or higher) in natural and engineering fields, 371,582 were non-employed, of whom 214,925 (57.8%) had career interruptions due to marriage and childbirth. This is because workplaces such as laboratories for women in science and engineering lack sufficient education to enhance job skills or support programs for reemployment and childcare compared to other fields.

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With a shortage of personnel, the starting salary for "developers" has already surpassed 60 million KRW. Neglecting these valuable female science and engineering talents would be a national loss. Continuous support policies are necessary. Additionally, women should be encouraged from elementary and secondary school to develop complex problem-solving skills through STEM education and foster interest in fundamental science and mathematics. Instead of a simple division between humanities and sciences, in-depth understanding of industries and job roles through education should guide career and major choices, while extracurricular self-development activities should be pursued to build job-related competencies. It would also be beneficial to use 'W Bridge,' a career growth support platform for women in science and technology, opened and piloted by WISET, to network among women in science and engineering.

A WISET official said, "Many companies are experiencing labor shortages, but the utilization of women with science and engineering majors is still insufficient," adding, "It is important to cultivate complex problem-solving skills through STEM education from an early age."