UNDP
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) aims to help eradicate poverty in all its forms, accelerate the transition to sustainable development, and make sure countries and people are able to withstand crises and shocks. We have recently interviewed Tiffany Sprague, the coordinator of STEM4ALL, a UNDP Europe and Central Asia regional platform that uses knowledge, advocacy and facilitation of networks to advance gender equality in the STEM sectors across the region. She spoke about the current and future initiatives of STEM4ALL and about her own journey as a mother in STEMM. Follow @UNDPEurasia on Twitter.
1- When was UNDP STEM4ALL launched and what is its mission?
UNDP Europe and Central Asia launched the STEM4ALL digital platform in March 2021, as a response to the increased challenges faced by women in STEM due to the pandemic, which are being felt across the 18 countries in the region. The digital transition accelerated by the pandemic is hitting women and girls the hardest because they are underrepresented in STEM and have less access to the internet, which is increasingly needed for education and economic participation. STEM4ALL: 1) Improves the flow of knowledge and awareness of the key barriers to women’s and girls’ advancement in STEM education and careers; 2) Connects actors of the STEM ecosystem to better coordinate solutions to make jobs of the future more accessible to women; and 3) Provides space to amplify the work of women in STEM as well as the best practices of policy makers, businesses, NGOs and educators.
2- Can you tell us about some of the initiatives of STEM4ALL?
With the support of 18 UNDP country offices in the region and UNDP Accelerator Labs we are, for example, managing a digital platform containing curated information and resources for women and girls in STEM in the region, producing the Chats with STEMinists podcast, host virtual events, conferences and workshops and we just kicked off the STEMinists Network in September 2021, which over 80 people from 34 countries, including individuals working in the private sector, academics, development practitioners, policy advocates and civil society organizations. The members of this network have begun mapping key gender barriers in STEM education and careers and developing solutions to tackling them.
3- How can mothers in STEMM join this network and what are the benefits to its members?
Mothers in STEM are welcome to join this network in various ways. Similar to the storytelling campaigns of Mothers in Science, we want to shine the spotlight on women in STEMM who, despite gender barriers, lead, innovate, and advance in STEMM Careers. They can go to our website and share their story. Members have access to a wide range of people, resources, and events that are curated by UNDP and partners and can also use the platform to share their ideas, showcase current work and best practices, advocate for gender equality in STEM, etc.
4- What are the challenges faced by women in STEMM living in Europe and the Central Asia region?
Although Europe and Central Asia tends to have a higher share of women in STEM fields than other regions, the number of women in leadership positions remains disproportionately small. Women face societal and structural gender barriers to advancing in STEM education and careers. Gender norms in many societies in this region result in women and girls being expected to put home and family ahead of education and career. Having children often results in women paying a ‘motherhood tax’ in their jobs. Exclusionary work cultures dominated my men, gender pay gap, company policies that make it hard to meet care responsibilities make it hard for women to feel like they belong and to advance in their careers.
5- What needs to be changed to close the gender gap in STEMM and so women and men are equally represented in leadership positions?
I believe one of the biggest obstacles is social norms and how occupations have been segregated along gender lines, and it’s hard to undo this narrative, though there are signs that this is changing. Businesses in STEM sectors need to revamp their human resources strategies to eliminate implicit biases in recruitment, hiring, and promotion. For economic growth and human rights, governments must invest more in reskilling/ upskilling programs for women who have lost or will lose their jobs due to rapid change in future of work skills. This really calls for “systems-level” approaches to close the gender gap. The solutions are all interconnected and require a lot of unlearning social norms coupled with structural changes to support women’s advancement in STEM.
6- Please tell us about yourself and your career path and why you became interested in working at a nonprofit to promote gender equality.
My career path has been anything but linear, but there has been a common thread which is working towards building an equal future. Along the way, my career decisions were influenced by the most pressing issue of the time or perhaps by personal events. Over the last 20+ years, I’ve had the great fortune to experience work in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors tackling a diverse range of social issues: democracy-building in Kyrgyzstan, small business development in Russia, gender mainstreaming STEM education and careers for girls and women, and the utility of tech for good. Born to immigrants from the Philippines and raised in rural Eastern Kentucky, USA, I have experienced both the benefits of living in a tight-knit, small town to that persistent feeling of not belonging. After graduating from college, I was on the move from New York to London to Boston to Washington DC to Berkeley and now in Amsterdam. Prior to UNDP, I worked in program design and development for various nonprofits, co-founded and led operations at Scientific Adventures for Girls.
7- What career obstacles have you faced as a mother in STEMM? How did you overcome them?
I have always been kind of “all-or-nothing" kind of person. When I’m into something, I go 100%, which can be good, but not easy for balancing all of life’s priorities. When I had children, I felt like I wasn’t doing anything well because I was used to putting in 100% into everything, and then I found myself having to let go. Mentally it was hard to learn how to do that and still feel good about myself as a parent and as a professional. For me talking to other working mothers and hearing that they had the same struggles was very helpful. I thought it was just me. Then I learned more about how the system makes it is tough for mothers to retain and advance their careers. And this knowledge really helped me calibrate my definition of success and what really matters to me at the end of the day. It has been such a journey “unlearning” and moving on my own path that works for me.
8- What advice would you give to a mother in STEMM?
Don’t internalize any doubts you have about yourself. Seek advice, share your struggles and wins. You’ll find that you’re not alone. Also, what I try to do every morning is to make a point of writing down “non-negotiables” of the day. For example, I love reading to the kids before bed. I want to sit down with them for ten minutes to have tea or dinner to hear about their day. These are the touchpoints that give me light and fill my bucket, so to speak. Otherwise, work can be so overwhelming, I sometimes lose track of time and lose those moments unintentionally. If you’re like me, these simple reminders have helped me a lot.