Iceland leads in supporting women in STEM

The Netherlands ranks as the top country for women beginning a STEM career, offering the greatest number of available STEM roles per 1,000 female workers (13).

CloudZero expert offers advice for women transitioning to a STEM career

Globally, women constitute only 24% of the STEM workforce, with a notable gender wage gap in STEM professions averaging $15,000. As efforts are made to enhance inclusivity, certain countries stand out in supporting women in STEM. CloudZero, a cloud cost intelligence platform, examined 38 OECD countries, assessing the proportion of women in STEM roles and education, alongside the opportunities available to them. This study also considered the gender wage gap and average female salary, ultimately identifying the leading countries for women to start a STEM career.

Iceland ranks as the top country for supporting women in STEM, with the highest average female salary across all job roles ($79,473) and near-equal representation in STEM roles (45%). The Netherlands comes second, largely due to the highest number of STEM roles available per 1,000 female workers (13). The US places third, with a high average female salary ($77,463). However, this may reflect the US having the world's highest GDP per capita ($80,030) rather than its commitment to supporting women. The US sees high wages for women, but the gender wage gap remains significant at 17%, indicating a need for further equality efforts in the workplace. Belgium ranks fourth with the lowest gender wage gap (1%), while Denmark completes the top five with a gender wage gap of 6%.

The study also highlights that Lithuania (49%) and Iceland (45%) have the highest percentages of women in STEM roles. Poland (43%) and the UK (38%) lead in female STEM graduates. The Netherlands emerges as the prime location for women starting a STEM career, offering the highest number of STEM roles per 1,000 female workers (13).

To identify the leading countries for women in STEM, CloudZero analysed each country's gender wage gap, average female salary, and the number of available STEM roles per 1,000 female workers. The Netherlands leads with the highest number of STEM roles per 1,000 female workers (13.40), partly due to the high number of available engineering roles (121,167). Luxembourg follows with the second-highest average female wage ($78,310). Belgium, with a substantial number of available engineering roles (25,119), ranks third, while Switzerland is fourth with a high average female wage ($72,993). The US completes the top five with an even higher average female wage ($77,463). The study also finds the US has the highest number of STEM job vacancies, totalling 1,065,554. In contrast, the UK faces challenges despite a high percentage of female STEM graduates (38%), with one of the world's highest gender wage gaps (14%) and only five STEM roles per 1,000 female workers.

Engineering is identified as the STEM sector with the most job vacancies, offering a total of 2,124,033 opportunities. Engineers play a vital role in helping organisations keep pace with technological evolution. For instance, Cloud Computing Engineers assist businesses in reducing cloud computing costs and reallocating funds towards further technological advancements.

Madeline Umscheid from CloudZero shares practical tips for women considering a career in STEM: “If you don’t have a degree in STEM, you don’t necessarily need to go and get a more formal education to get into the industry. There are usually ways you can get hands-on practical experience without having to spend a lot of money and time, such as paid internships.

“Building a strong peer network is also valuable. Make friends with the people you work with, then stay in touch with them when you switch jobs. If you have a small peer network and want to grow out, challenge yourself to go to a few meet-ups or support groups as these are great opportunities for networking. They’re also a good opportunity to find other people who may be facing similar difficulties to you if you’re feeling alone.

“When you’re being interviewed for a job, you should also be interviewing the company. Look at their benefits policies, especially how they treat parents. Ask questions like ‘What’s the gender breakdown of your team?’ or ‘What is your plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion?’. The way they answer these questions will tell you a lot.”