IET joins forces with Stemettes to march across London’s Waterloo Bridge

The new survey, commissioned by Stemettes, found that 1 in 3 young people haven’t or don’t remember being taught about a woman scientist highlighting the need for better gender representation in the UK STEM curriculum.

Waterloo Bridge is often referred to as the ‘Ladies Bridge’ due to the undocumented contribution of female construction workers at the time the bridge was rebuilt in the 1930s. Groups of young girls, women and non-binary people will come together on the bridge at 12:00 BST to walk over the iconic structure and take part in a reception at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

Following the march, participants will hear from keynote speaker and CEO of Stemettes, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE and Dr Laura Norton, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the IET, about the systematic exclusion of women role models who continue to be erased and excluded from textbooks and lesson plans. 

Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, Co-founder and CEO of Stemettes said: “Ten years of work has helped so many to make informed decisions about their futures - across our events, programmes and platforms we’re shifting the social norm on women and the STEM & STEAM fields.

I’m proud of the future we’re creating and what we’ve been able to achieve so far in partnership with industry, academia and entrepreneurs. Here’s to a maximum of 10 more years of work needed from Stemettes and a plethora of systemic changes to ensure this is a problem of the past.”

Dr Laura Norton, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the IET, said: “It’s hard to be what you can’t see which is why it’s so important to shine a spotlight on the incredible women who have changed our world for the better.

We have a responsibility and opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women in STEM to eliminate damaging and misconceived stereotypes and show young people just how exciting, creative and life-changing working in this industry can be.”

From Thursday 9 February through to October 2023, Stemettes will be celebrating its 10th birthday with a series of free public events and roundtable discussions in the North East, London and West Midlands.  

Stemettes has changed the lives of over 60,000 young women and non-binary people across the UK, Ireland, and parts of Europe over the past decade, and continues to provide free support to those who are curious in exploring and pursuing STEM pathways in sectors at the forefront of innovation.

Even though the UK is in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and families are struggling to find free ways to prepare their children for an uncertain future, Stemettes is proud to empower the next generation, no matter what their household income, educational background, or educational achievements are.

To find out more about Stemettes and the celebration events taking place, please visit https://stemettes.org/birthday/

ENDS

Notes to Editors

About Stemettes

Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE created the Stemettes in 2013 to ensure girls, young women, and non-binary young people know that technical fields are for them. The Stemettes' mission is to inspire, encourage and support young people into STEM fields with their 'Free, Fun, Food' ethos.  As of 2021, Stemettes has encouraged the addition of the arts to the STEM agenda and now works with STEAM principles. We have changed the lives of more than 60,000 young people across the UK, Ireland and parts of Europe.

Stemettes run more than 50 interventions each year - a mixture of intersectional cohort programmes, impactful events and inspirational content platforms. These interventions improve perceptions of STEM, raise awareness of options within STEM, grow the network these young people have across STEM and improve their self and STEM confidence.

The next steps for Stemettes lie in developing the reach and programmes they have across the country in regional areas lacking STEM careers support, extending the Stemette provision to Parents, Guardians and Teachers and transitioning alumnae into STEM fields.

Anyone wanting to help can donate to Stemette Futures, spread the word about Stemettes as far and wide as possible, and volunteer on a Stemettes programme. For anyone already in the industry, the best way to help would be to ensure that Stemettes doesn't need to exist. Use your sphere of influence to be a good ally, ensure that equitable practice is employed in your work-place across hiring practices, promotion and the allocation of positions of responsibility. 

Website: Stemettes.org

About the IET

• We inspire, inform and influence the global engineering community to engineer a better world. 
• We are a diverse home for engineering and technology intelligence throughout the world. This breadth and depth means we are uniquely placed to help the sector progress society. 
• We want to build the profile of engineering and technology to change outdated perceptions and tackle the skills gap. This includes encouraging more women to become engineers and growing the number of engineering apprentices. 
• Interview opportunities are available with our spokespeople from a range of engineering and technology disciplines including cyber-security, energy, engineering skills, innovation, manufacturing, technology, transport and diversity in engineering. 
• For more information, visit www.theiet.org 
• Follow the IET on Twitter.

Media enquiries

Rebecca Gillick
External Communications Manager
T: +44 (0)7706 297 580
E: rgillick@theiet.org