Negin Mirzaei Damabi, Zahra Ali Padhani, Patience Castleton, and Zohra Lassi
Women continue to be underrepresented in STEM occupations. In Australia, women made up just 15% of STEM-qualified roles in 2023. While their presence in these fields has grown by 76% over the past decade, the gender gap remains stark.
Women in STEM industries earn, on average, $26,420 less per year than men – a 16% pay disparity. Leadership opportunities are equally limited, with just 10% of CEOs in STEM-qualified industries being women, and women holding only 25% of senior management positions.
For women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, barriers extend beyond gender.
Language difficulties, lack of recognition for overseas qualifications, and limited childcare access make career advancement even harder. While CALD individuals constitute 20% of Australia’s STEM workforce, many remain in low-paid, insecure roles.
Workforce participation also reflects inequality; 47.3% of CALD women are employed compared to 69.5% of CALD men.
The research sector faces unique challenges. When those shaping research don’t reflect society’s diversity, critical issues affecting marginalised communities are overlooked.
Women in research
While 55% of new PhD graduates in Australia are women, CALD women remain underrepresented in research and leadership. With 55.3% of international PhD students being men, the pathway to leadership remains narrow for women from diverse backgrounds.
Research that lacks diverse perspectives can produce findings that fail to address key community needs. When CALD women are absent from research teams, important cultural perspectives are often missed.
Their presence in leadership roles is essential to foster innovation, mentor the next generation, and ensure research is inclusive and relevant.
Increasing their participation isn’t just about equity, it’s about producing better science.
This also applies to the exclusion of women, particularly those from CALD and migrant backgrounds, from research as participants. Health studies, for example, often fail to consider the unique health risks and social determinants affecting these populations.
The result? Misdiagnosis, inadequate healthcare interventions, and policies that fail to meet community needs.
When research ignores marginalised groups, it forces them into one-size-fits-all interventions that don’t reflect their realities.
This fosters distrust in science and deepens social inequities.
A lack of diverse women mentors discourages female students from pursuing research, reducing advocacy for women-centred topics and perpetuating the cycle.
From subjects to collaborators
For too long, research has been conducted on communities rather than with them. When women are included, especially those from CALD backgrounds, they have often been passive subjects rather than active partners in shaping research priorities.
A shift is needed. Instead of merely studying women, research should be co-designed with women.
Equipping CALD women with STEM training enables them to lead and contribute to meaningful research, rather than just participating as subjects. This combines the goals of involving women in research both as participants and leaders.
Globally, innovative research models demonstrate the power of community-led research. Participatory Action Research (PAR), widely used in refugee and low-resource settings, has reshaped maternal health initiatives.
Instead of external researchers dictating study parameters, women are trained as co-researchers, collecting and analysing data alongside academics. This fosters trust, ensures relevant findings, and leads to sustainable interventions.
In Australia, peer-led research has been instrumental in addressing the mental health needs of migrant and refugee women.
Instead of relying solely on traditional survey methods, research led by women with lived experience uncovers insights that would otherwise remain hidden.
Similarly, Indigenous-led research in reproductive health has shifted interventions from a deficit model to one that highlights resilience and strength.
When communities take the lead, the impact is deeper and more sustainable. Empowering women as research partners enhances research quality, relevance, and impact.
Science must evolve to be not just about women, but led by women.
The future of STEM starts now
Advocacy for diversity in scientific communities must include all genders, nationalities, and backgrounds. Making research careers visible and accessible to everyone inspires future generations and strengthens the field.
Science thrives on collaboration, learning from diverse perspectives, and leveraging collective strengths.
No breakthrough has ever been made alone. We must ensure that all voices are heard to shape the research of tomorrow.
Negin Mirzaei Damabi is a member of PHAA SIG Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Zahra Ali Padhani is a committee member of PHAA SIG Health Promotion, Patience Castleton is a member of PHAA, and Associate Professor Zohra Lassi is a Co-Convenor of PHAA SIG Women’s Health.
All the authors are affiliated with the School of Public Health and Robinson Research Institute at the University of Adelaide.
Negin, Zahra and Patience are PhD students in the School of Public Health, University of Adelaide.
Image: Canva
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