After the first two years of my PhD research on women’s progression into leadership in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) organisations, combined with more than 20 years coaching senior women and men, I’ve become increasingly convinced that meaningful change rarely comes from a single intervention.
Sustainable progress happens when organisations work simultaneously at three interconnected levels:
- Supporting women to increase their visibility, influence and organisational impact.
- Helping leaders – particularly men, who still hold most senior STEM positions – to lead more consciously and inclusively.
- Embedding evidence-based practices into organisational systems, processes and culture.
Too often, gender equality initiatives focus exclusively on helping women adapt to existing environments. Yet women do not progress in isolation. Career advancement is shaped by social networks, leadership behaviours, organisational norms and talent systems that can either amplify or constrain contribution. My research increasingly suggests that progress depends on addressing all these factors together.
Support women to have impact
The lack of women’s progression in STEM cannot be explained simply as a confidence issue. Many highly capable women already possess deep technical expertise and confidence in their subject matter. The challenge is often whether that expertise is recognised, valued and translated into influence, status and leadership opportunities.
Research suggests that seemingly small experiences – being interrupted, receiving less credit for achievements, having ideas overlooked or being evaluated more critically – can accumulate over time, affecting both self-belief and how others perceive leadership potential (Kim & Meister, 2023; Thomas-Hunt & Phillips, 2004).
This is one of the reasons our Women in Business coaching groups have proved so powerful. Bringing together women from different organisations creates a rare opportunity to share experiences, broaden networks, challenge limiting assumptions and develop practical strategies for increasing impact.
More than 85% of participants subsequently increase their investment in their career, and many go on to achieve promotion. Research also supports the positive impact of group coaching and professional networks on women’s career progression (Filletti & Jones, 2025; Wolff & Moser, 2026).
Support men to lead differently
Most senior leaders in STEM are still men. As a result, they have a disproportionate influence on whose talent is recognised, developed and promoted. Yet many diversity initiatives focus primarily on supporting underrepresented groups rather than helping those with organisational influence understand the barriers others experience.
Research consistently demonstrates that people are often least aware of advantages associated with their own group membership (Garcia-Gonzalez et al., 2019). This makes conscious and inclusive leadership particularly important.
Furthermore, technical expertise and inclusive leadership require different capabilities. Many STEM leaders are promoted because of outstanding technical performance, yet receive little support in developing the relational, interpersonal and reflective skills required to lead diverse teams effectively.
If we want to create more inclusive STEM environments, we need to help leaders develop greater self-awareness alongside technical expertise. This is what we address in our coaching groups for men – Men Leading Differently. We support men to increase their emotional intelligence to enable more conscious leadership choices.
Understanding bias is important. Knowing how to challenge it through everyday decisions, talent discussions and sponsorship is where real change happens (Yoder et al, 1998, Yoder 2001).
Embed change into the organisation
Individual development can create momentum, but sustainable progress requires organisational change.
The organisations making the greatest progress tend to do three things well:
- Apply the same scientific rigour to people decisions as to technical decisions. STEM organisations routinely use data, experimentation and evidence to solve complex technical problems. Talent decisions deserve the same level of scrutiny.
- Assume systems are imperfect. Just as engineers test systems for faults, organisations should assume bias may exist within recruitment, promotion and performance processes and continuously examine the evidence.
- Make inclusive behaviour the norm. Cultures change when expectations are clear and consistently reinforced. Inviting quieter voices into discussions, challenging assumptions, recognising contributions fairly and creating psychological safety are not “nice-to-haves” – they are leadership behaviours.
The opportunity ahead
The good news is that we know far more today than we did a decade ago about what helps women progress in STEM.
The challenge is no longer awareness. The challenge is action.
Real change requires all three elements working together: women with the confidence and networks to increase their impact, leaders willing to actively champion and sponsor talent, and organisations prepared to examine their people systems with the same rigour they apply to science and engineering.
That is why we continue to invest in both our Women in Business and Men Leading Differently coaching groups.
This year, we are bringing these groups together.
Because lasting progress is not created by women working harder, men feeling guilty, or organisations issuing policies. It happens when talented people, influential leaders and organisational systems all pull in the same direction.
Gender equality in STEM is not a women’s issue. It is a leadership challenge, a talent challenge and, ultimately, an organisational effectiveness challenge.
References
Filleti, P., & Jones, R. J. (2025). Can Group Coaching Support The Career Advancement Of Women? International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 23(1), 236–251.
García-González, J., Forcén, P., & Jimenez-Sanchez, M. (2019). Men and women differ in their perception of gender bias in research institutions. PLOS ONE, 14(12), e0225763.
Kim, J.Y. and Meister, A. (2023) Microagressions, Interrupted: The Experiences and Effects of Gender Microagressions for Women in STEM, J. of Business Ethics, 185, 513-531
Thomas-Hunt, M. C., & Phillips, K. W. (2004). When What You Know Is Not Enough: Expertise and Gender Dynamics in Task Groups. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30(12), 1585–
Wolff, H.-G., & Moser, K. (2009). Effects of networking on career success: A longitudinal study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(1), 196–206.
Yoder, J. D., Schleicher, T. L., & McDonald, T. W. (1998). Empowering Token Women Leaders (Pt 209-222). Psychology of Women Quarterly, 22.
Yoder, J. D. (2001). Making Leadership Work More Effectively for Women. Journal of Social Issues, 57(4), 815–828.
