Igniting confidence for women in STEM

Social pressures, lower confidence and fewer role models make the decision to study mathematical and physical sciences a difficult one for young Australian women.

The STEM workforce is critical to Australia's future innovation and prosperity, and female under-representation has serious implications. At school, girls are under-represented and under-performing in physics and advanced mathematics. At university, female participation in STEM drops as students make the leap from undergraduate to postgraduate studies. In the workforce, women hold only 15 per cent of STEM-qualified jobs and 8 per cent of executive positions.

Mathematical and physical sciences graduates are particularly sought-after and find their skills opening doors to some of the country’s best-paid careers. With female leadership shown to increase workforce performance, productivity and profitability, increasing the number of women in STEM is also a valuable investment.

Driving transformational change

Awarded in recognition of academic potential and endeavour, the two-year Helen R Freeman Scholarships in mathematics and physics offer some financial security that relieves everyday pressures and enables young women to pursue their scientific ambitions from positions of strength.

Donor Helen Freeman has long understood the value of driving transformative change. Coming from the Victorian area of Sunraysia, she studied geography, political science and education at the University of Melbourne. Her career was in teaching and working with the Federal Government in education, international relations and trade. From her experience at a girls' school in India, she saw the impact of education and the aspirations that it encouraged.

This passion for education and helping others was deeply rooted in her upbringing, with her mother's values having a significant impact on her life. "My mother was a very generous woman who also believed that people should do something for someone else," she says.