Did you know that only 8% of women are interested in studying engineering in Mexico? According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), prejudice and stereotypes influence young people’s decisions about their academic and professional future, mainly in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field, which affects the country’s innovation and development.
According to an occupation survey of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), 8 out of the 10 better-paying jobs are related to STEM careers. Despite this, only 28% out of the 48% working women in the world hold a job related to science or technology.
Impulso STEM (STEM Boost), a joint program with the Technological University of the Central Valleys of Oaxaca (UTVCO), the UNAM Institute of Renewable Energy STEM for Kids, is aimed at fostering Oaxaca student’s – mainly women – interest in engineering. It includes training for teachers and tutors, courses, communication campaigns and scholarship programs. Furthermore, we are convinced that by allowing women to study engineering we can break the wage barrier still existing in Mexico.
The program will benefit more than 12,000 students in Central Valleys and Oaxaca´s Isthmus. In the next 5 years we will provide 100 scholarships for the UTVCO and the call for grants for interested students will begin soon.
At Iberdrola México we are committed to reach the Sustainable Development Goals #4 -quality education- and #5 -gender equality-. We seek to benefit communities most in need, delivering tools to drive development. This type of actions asserts our commitment to the Southeast of Mexico and its residents.
