Education’s role in diversity within the satcom industry
For years, it has been clear that the satcom industry has had a persistent problem with diversity. This is certainly not limited to the satellite industry; Computer Science published an article which states that 86% of people in engineering jobs in the US in 2020 were men. Beyond gender, STEM has a clear race and ethnicity gap; according to Science News, Black professionals made up only 9% of STEM workers in the US (lower than the 11% share of the overall workforce) and Hispanic professionals only made up 8% of STEM workers (with an even larger representation gap as 17% of the overall workforce is made up Hispanic people). In 2020, people took to social media using #BlackinSTEM to raise the profile of Black professionals in STEM roles. This served brilliantly for both networking within STEM industries and for highlighting role models within STEM for younger people.
Why education is so critical
Education and its accessibility is crucial in shaping diversity within STEM subjects. Traditional and old-fashioned stereotypes of female/male roles are often a hindrance to diversity. In a report by the AAUW, which focuses on women and girls in STEM, it was identified that the mindset surrounding female capabilities within STEM were hugely problematic and that negative stereotypes were likely to deter girls from maintaining an interest in STEM. However, there are now changes being made within education to shift the old-fashioned attitudes surrounding who should and shouldn’t be studying STEM subjects. It is clear that it is beneficial to have diverse role models to empower people from all backgrounds to follow STEM careers. STEM groups are now running in many countries, with many providing access to support diversity through communities for both students and teachers.
How can we help?
Beyond education, it is important for organisations within our industry to place importance on enabling diversity within their own organisations. We know people should be employed by their ability, as opposed to their gender or race. Many of the large satellite operators have launched programmes to boost diversity. Satellite operator SES recently won The Diversity Award Lëtzebuerg 2021 for its efforts towards instilling diversity as one of its key values in its company culture. Many educational settings are now engaging with professionals from various STEM backgrounds to promote young people to pursue STEM careers, regardless of their race or gender. SIG works alongside Shaftesbury School in Dorset to promote STEM to its students through educational projects related to satcom. This partnership saw students visit SIG member, Airbus, for a tour of its facilities and to meet its professionals.
To hear more regarding the role of diversity in satcom, view SIG’s session at ConnecTechAsia now.