“Even in the most prestigious universities, you will find that boys make up most of the Maths, Physics, and STEM-related subjects. This has been true since the time of Albert Einstein.”
– Goh Aik Hong, Head of Women in Lenovo Leadership (WILL)
It’s true. The gender gap in tech is narrowing, but not nearly as fast as it should be. This tricky, yet age-old problem has never stopped baffling even the brightest among us.
Although Singapore has made huge strides in encouraging gender diversity in tech, we’re still far from equal representation, especially in leadership positions. Women make up 41% of our tech workforce compared to the global average of 28%. With the growing importance that digital technologies pose, this persistent gender imbalance in Information and Communications Technology needs urgent addressing.
Considering this, we decided to sit down with Lenovo Singapore’s AP Finance Controller, Services and Solution sales and Head of Women in Lenovo Leadership (WILL), Goh Aik Hong, to discuss this gender imbalance and discover how a large multinational company like Lenovo is doing its part to tackle this troubling imbalance.
Good morning! To start off, could you share a bit about yourself?
I am Goh Aik Hong, the AP Finance Controller for Services and Solutions Sales at Lenovo.
I also lead the Women in Lenovo Leadership team in Singapore, WILL in short.
WILL was established over a decade ago, with Lenovo recognising the need to support women in the workplace. With physical chapters located all over the world, WILL teams promote gender equality across Lenovo’s global workforce through initiatives like women’s forums and mentorship programmes.
We’re proud to have recently been recognised on the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for our efforts toward gender equity in the workplace.
Could you share with us, why are women underrepresented in STEM careers? Are they just not cut out for STEM?
I don’t think that women are less cut out for STEM. I certainly don’t think that women are less
intelligent. Statistically, in many elite universities, women make up almost half of all the graduates but less than half of STEM subjects. For example, the University of Oxford 2021 student statistics revealed that the male-to-female student ratio was 1:1. However, within the STEM-related majors, only 35% of the students were female.
This means that it’s a choice that women make when they were in school that led to the career choices that they end up with.
Hence, I believe the solution to this is to start exposure to STEM education early. It shouldn’t always be girls with barbie dolls and boys with cars. Girls should also be exposed to STEM.
You mentioned that STEM education is really important to improve the gender gap in tech. Has Lenovo been involved in any of such STEM education recently?
Yes. It has always been part of Lenovo’s DNA. We have always been building up STEM
interest for girls through various educational activities and workshops.
Most recently, we collaborated with IMDA through their SG Women in Tech initiative to participate in Girls in Tech Day on 30th May 2022.
A photograph of all the trainers who conducted various workshops for Girls in Tech Day.
This is part of the national initiative to promote gender balance in the technology industry. Lenovo has a good relationship with IMDA and has participated in the SG Women in Tech pledge during International Women’s Day to promote STEM education which is very aligned with our corporate goals so it’s only natural for us to participate. We’re also glad to support the Government’s initiatives.
Why did Lenovo decide upon a game development workshop for Girls in Tech Day?
We used to run physical coding workshops where kids could create mini Lenovo mascot robots with a micro:bit and found that the children really liked it.
Although Girls in Tech was hosted virtually this year, we wanted to use the same Lenovo mascot robots while allowing the children to have fun and explore their creativity.
So, after some brainstorming with Tinkercademy, we decided on using the Lenovo digital mascots to create a game where each girl could decide how to control the mascot as well as the environment in which the mascot operates. They could also store the game on the cloud and keep playing with them even after the workshop has ended.
A screenshot of a game made during Girls in Tech Day which uses the Lenovo mascot.
Do you think the 9–12-year-old girls enjoyed the workshop?
I think they did. There were over a hundred girls who joined the workshop and all of them were highly engaged as they were actively participating. At one point, we had to pull them into various breakout rooms to address their questions since 10 of them had their hands up at the same time!
After having run this workshop, what are your thoughts on it?
Personally, I believe this is where you start erasing the bias. Breaking gender stereotypes can bring out children’s full potential — once we stop limiting them to “what girls should do” and “what boys should do”, girls will realise that they can do just as well in STEM. Subsequently, they may have more inclination towards that Science or Maths major in university — that’s when we will have more women exploring STEM as a possible career path.
We’re not saying that all girls must be scientists, but it’s about getting girls equal exposure to STEM as boys. And when boys are used to having girls in the same class as them and building the same robots as them, then they too would realise that there is no gender tied to the STEM field, just as there is no gender tied to the humanities. When boys and girls learn from each other, then there is no stigma tied to any field of learning.
Thank you so much for today’s sharing. We’ve definitely learnt so much from you about the current gender imbalance in tech. Before you go, could you share one piece of advice you would give to little girls interested in STEM?
My advice would be that gender should never be a limiting factor and that you are not defined by the stereotypes prescribed to you.
Your perception of yourself isn’t restricted to any single identity. For example, I identify as both a woman and a leader in my industry. And these are just two of the many identities I use to navigate my life.
You own your own life so do not let stereotypes subject you to a box.
~
Is your organisation looking to lead positive societal change? Would you like to be an ambassador for gender diversity in technology? Reach out to us and we’ll be glad to help organise a fun series of STEM workshops for both young men and women!