PULAU PINANG, June 12, 2025: Malaysia has long struggled with a historical gender imbalance in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), despite decades of educational reform and health campaigns. Experts say that deep-rooted stereotypes in terms of gender and intelligence continue to discourage the majority of young girls from entering STEM profession fields.
Among engineering undergraduates in 2024, only 40 percent were women, said the Ministry of Higher Education. Women are even thinner on the ground in high-flying fields such as data analysis and software development. This is despite the fact that women now make up the majority of university students overall.
“Long-time stereotyping has made women feel like they’re not as valued as their male counterparts,” said Professor Dr. Halimaton Hamdan, Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. “This led to self-doubt. Women are also seen as not good enough and not suitable for these roles,” she said.
A 2024 survey by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia found that almost 70 percent of female secondary students believe STEM jobs are more suitable for men. All of them cited a lack of encouragement from their teachers, fewer opportunities to see female role models and fear of failing as key reasons for dropping out of science streams.
This deficit of women is worrying, especially when Malaysia is pushing towards becoming a digital and innovative economy by 2030. The Academy of Sciences Malaysia approximates a national shortfall of up to 500,000 STEM experts in the coming years. With less women being engaged in those fields, experts caution that Malaysia may fall short of its talent needs and risk heavily relying on foreign talent.
However, this situation still has room for improvement. Schools and organizations are seen to be starting to take action. Programs like all-girls STEM clubs, women-in-tech career speeches, and mentorship sessions seem to be able to help boost girls’ confidence in science and technology. Companies such as Petronas and Telekom Malaysia are providing hands-on learning opportunities for schoolgirls through seminars and job exposure initiatives.
Supportive learning environments from an early age are the most essential aspect to be taken care of. This can be done by organizing counseling for STEM-related careers that emphasize women, representing women in science textbooks and also inviting successful women in STEM-related careers for school programs. Shafiq, Al-Obaidi, Gunasagaran and Mari (2024) found that even though Malaysia has already shown some progress recently, participation of women in engineering is stuck at around 40 percent only. They also highlight the need for efforts that are continuous to expand access and acceptance of women in STEM fields to be improved.
Another possible way is to strengthen the collaboration of schools with industries. According to Esangbedo et al. (2023), during this industrial 4.0 era, industrial partnerships can lead to scientific innovation that is more relevant and interesting. After witnessing how STEM is applied in real-life jobs, their interest and motivation will definitely grow.
STEM education in Malaysia is failing, but this can be fixed. With good mentorship, a supportive learning environment, and industry partnership, there is still room for improvement if the suggestions suggested are implemented.
Authors:
1. Maisarah Binti Mohamad Azizi
Master Of Education Biology Student, Sultan Idris University Of Education
2. Nurul Zharif Amani Binti Azuki
Master Of Education Biology Student, Sultan Idris University Of Education
3. Dr. Mohd Mokhzani Bin Ibrahim
Lecturer, Faculty Of Science And Mathematics, Sultan Idris University Of Education
