The Women in
STEM
Network
Professional connection across disciplines, regions and career stages
The Women in STEM Network helps women build, sustain and progress through careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
We provide access to professional networks, mentoring, career development, practical resources and opportunities to learn from people across disciplines, sectors and countries.
Our purpose is not simply to encourage more women to enter STEM. It is to help ensure that women can remain, develop, lead and contribute throughout their careers.
We want to see a STEM workforce in which ability and contribution are recognised fairly, career progression is not limited by gender or background, and women can participate fully at every level.
We are working towards a future where:
We believe opportunities should be based on relevant ability, evidence and contribution. We also recognise that people do not always begin with equal access to the experiences through which their abilities can be demonstrated.
Women in STEM do not form a single group. Our community includes different disciplines, cultures, identities, career stages and personal circumstances. We aim to create a professional environment in which those differences are respected.
Good intentions are not enough. We focus on useful tools, relevant learning, mentoring, professional connections and opportunities that members can apply in their own careers.
We communicate honestly about what we provide, what we know and what still needs to be developed. We take responsibility for the quality of our programmes, partnerships and decisions.
No single organisation can address every barrier within STEM. We work with members, employers, educational institutions, professional bodies and other communities to share knowledge and develop better approaches.
Geography, career stage and financial circumstances should not unnecessarily prevent people from participating. We use digital delivery, international networks and different membership options to make support more widely available.
We listen to lived experience, but we also look beyond individual stories. Our work should be informed by research, member feedback and evidence of what produces meaningful change.
Careers develop over decades. We are interested not only in entry into STEM, but also in retention, progression, leadership, career transitions and returning after time away.
Useful professional relationships do not always come from the same workplace, country or discipline. We create opportunities for members to learn from people whose experience may be different from their own.
Mentoring, training and community should help people make informed decisions rather than make those decisions for them. We provide frameworks, knowledge and connection while recognising that every member remains responsible for their own career.
Career development matters, but women should not carry sole responsibility for overcoming structural barriers. We support individuals while also encouraging employers and institutions to examine recruitment, progression, workplace design and leadership practices.
Expertise is not always expressed through confidence, self-promotion or visibility. Strong STEM organisations need people who lead, analyse, question, collaborate, communicate and solve problems in different ways.
The Network should continue to develop in response to the people who use it. Member experience, feedback and participation will inform the resources, programmes and opportunities we create.
Women’s experiences in STEM vary between countries, cultures, sectors and disciplines. International connection can reveal shared challenges, but it should not erase important local differences.
Considerable effort has been invested in encouraging girls and women to enter STEM. Entry matters, but it is only the beginning of a career.
Women may encounter different challenges as they move from education into employment, build technical expertise, seek promotion, take on caring responsibilities, return after a career break or move towards leadership. Some leave because they choose a different direction. Others leave because the structure around them makes remaining or progressing unnecessarily difficult.
When experienced women leave, the loss extends beyond the individual. Organisations lose knowledge, future leaders, mentors and perspectives that have taken years to develop.
The Women in STEM Network exists to provide continuity across those career stages. Employers, managers and roles may change, but access to an international professional community can remain.
Our work is therefore concerned with the whole career journey: entering STEM, finding support, developing skills, building relationships, navigating change, progressing into leadership and helping others do the same.