Bridging the gap in science and technology — Systemic barriers still hold women back from working in science, technology, engineering and math, but evidence-based interventions like mentoring, allyship and modelling can help close the field’s gender gap

Date published: February 11, 2026 | Estimated read time: 5 min Social SCiences and Humanities Research Council

Fewer than one in four jobs in Canada’s science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) sector are held by women, even though more than one-third of STEM graduates are women.

This disparity is precisely the sort that inspired creating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11). It’s also the kind of gender gap that sparked Engendering Success in STEM (ESS), an ambitious project funded by a seven-year, $2.5 million SSHRC Partnership Grant, that has seen The University of British Columbia (UBC) researchers do a deep dive into the underrepresentation of women in STEM.

Since girls face barriers long before peoples’ first job search, research led by ESS Director Toni Schmader and colleagues involved pinpointing when stereotypes about gender and science first emerge in childhood. 

Engendering Success in STEM Director Toni Schmader speaking at the project’s 2017 launch meeting.

Photo: Paul Joseph

“We found that 12% of girls believe that boys are better at math at the start of elementary school. Other research suggests these stereotypes strengthen as kids get older,” says Schmader, a professor and former Canada Research Chair, and the first-ever woman to head the Department of Psychology at UBC. “That’s something we have power to change, since the stereotypes are still malleable at that point.”

Methods for dismantling such stereotypes can range from modelling examples of successful women in the sciences to tweaking small details in how activities are named and framed. 

“One research insight that resonated with us is how subtle shifts in language can unintentionally bias a child’s interest,” says Sandy Eix, director of STEAM learning at Science World, one of over 40 stakeholder partners that took part in ESS. “After learning how terms like ‘coding ninjas’ vs. ‘creative coding’ can influence gender participation, we rebranded our robotics initiatives to better reflect the creative, open-ended nature of the work.”

Eix adds that mindfulness about inclusive naming is remaining a core part of the programming philosophy at Science World.

Stereotypes and psychological barriers still hold women and girls back

Although Schmader, a social psychologist, is best known for her work on STEM and gender, her early research was focused on race and ethnicity in the United States.

“I’ve always been interested in how stereotypes constrain what we think about ourselves and what we’re able to do,” she says.

One key concept from Schmader’s early work is “stereotype threat,” a phenomenon that sees people underperform on tests and tasks when they become anxious that their work might confirm negative stereotypes about their group. This can have an impact on any marginalized identity, including gendered ones. Women are more likely to experience stereotype threat in male-dominated domains, so this psychological barrier plays a role in STEM’s gender gap.

“Sometimes internships and co-op programs are a shock to the system for a recent grad,” says Schmader. “Even undergraduate engineering programs can feel like a bit more of a protected environment than the masculine culture that women sometimes encounter in their first workplace setting.”

Evidence-based interventions like mentoring and allyship go a long way

Attendees participate in an Engendering Success in STEM Project RISE workshop in March 2020.

Photo: Toni Schmader

To limit the impact of stereotype threat and other implicit biases, it’s important to raise awareness among people of all genders in schools and workplaces. Of late, despite equity, diversity and inclusion training being framed by some as controversial, Schmader says many conversations around workplace interventions still lack nuance and ignore a large body of evidence about approaches that can change peoples’ beliefs and behaviour.

“With any intervention there are good ways and bad ways to do it,” says Schmader. “Some models can create reactive behaviour, but there are lots of … diversity training interventions that are hugely effective.”

“Mentorship programs, for example, are uncontroversially effective,” she continues. “They help forge connections, solidify a woman’s sense of belonging, and potentially lead to allyship.”

Mentoring is more than just a theoretical concept for Schmader, who was awarded the Killam Award for Excellence in Mentoring in 2022. In addition to graduate students and junior colleagues, one memorable protégé for Schmader was Alexa Bailey, a ninth grader who turned to ESS for help in designing an evidence-based program to bolster school-aged girls’ confidence in math. Bailey went on to found Girls to the Power of Math, a not-for-profit program used in several schools in Vancouver and Whistler.

Women and girls in STEM

Stereotypes and psychological barriers aren’t only holding women back from reaching their full potential; they’re also holding Canada’s STEM sector back.

Diverse research teams have been found to be more innovative and inclusive. Minimizing stereotypes and other barriers also might ease labour shortages in a range of fields—and not only in STEM.  

“A lot of the occupations with the biggest labour shortages are highly gender-segregated jobs like nursing, teaching, and fields like engineering and technology,” says Schmader, who received a SSHRC Insight Development Grant for her research into men’s interest in communal roles and careers. Her latest research will focus on stereotypes and highly gendered jobs.

“Since entrenched stereotypes in all these occupations mean they only attract half the population, I think that might not be a coincidence,” she says.

Want to learn more?

To find out more about ESS and Toni Schmader’s research, visit the Engendering Success in STEM website. A final report, intervention toolkits, and other resources are available in PDF. To learn more about stereotype threat and other barriers, see UBC’s Social Identity Lab.

If you’re curious about the impressive background research Alexa Bailey and Toni Schmader conducted to launch Girls to the Power of Math, you can download it here.