CALDWELL, Idaho — The future is bright for women in tech. Women Innovators held its 6th Annual 'She-Tech Explorer day' for high school students at the College of Idaho.
Approximately 400 students attended the event. Throughout the day they attended workshops run by people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers, along with STEM companies from across the Treasure Valley.
“We want to introduce these young women to STEM to be part of tomorrow's problem solvers,” said Alecia Murray, Co-founder of Women Innovators.
Women are making significant gains in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. But according to Women Innovators, men are still twice as likely than women to work in STEM occupations in Idaho, and they intend to close that gap.
“We have the mission to make Idaho the place for women and girl innovators to succeed. We do that by knocking down the 'you can't be what you can't see' barrier,” said Eve Lacivita, Executive Director of Women Innovators.
In addition to showcasing career opportunities, Woman Innovators works to connect young women with role models and mentors.
“I really like the energy here and it's really inspiring to know that there is a huge community of us who are interested in pursuing the same thing,” said Wenzy Suo, Youth Board President for Women Innovators.
If trends continue women could soon become a majority in STEM fields. Data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data system shows big gains in the last thirty years.
Women represented 45% of students majoring in stem fields in 2020, up from 40% in 2010 and 34% in 1994.
“Our goal, at the end of the day, is just for the students to leave here thinking this is possible for me, and to know it's not just their science and math class they are not a fan of, that STEM is so much more than that,” said Rachael Hogan, SheTech event lead.
