Girl Power

Debora Hirman & Tanisha Gupta

For years now, there has been a lack of women in the areas of engineering and IT, representing only 35% of the population in these workplaces. This is due to stereotypes that our society holds, discouraging women from entering these fields. It is often said that girls do not have the intellectual ability to do something so profound but instead should be in jobs that require less effort. However there have been many successful and talented women in these fields such as Ada Lovelace, Hedy Lamarr and many others who have proven these misconceptions wrong.

Engineering is a science and technology-based field of study. Depending on the area of specialisation, it entails building, developing, designing and much more. There are numerous specialisations available, including mechanical, chemical, biomedical and aeroespacial. Information technologies (IT) components like programming and 3D design are also a part of engineering. IT stores, processes, transmits, and retrieves data and information using computers, software, networks, and electronic devices. 

The University of Melbourne’s Girl Power Program is a fully funded program, created to promote the idea of having women in engineering and IT and promote gender equality. This program is accessible to girls and runs from year 9 to 12. 

During the Girl Power Program, we have been exposed to many different fields of study which we may be able to pursue in the future, as well as workshops, educational lectures, and collaborative hands on tasks which gives us the opportunity to experience the wide world of engineering in many different ways. We were guided by caring and inspirational student mentors who talked about their experiences and interest in engineering IT. Through this journey we have met many successful and influential people, such as Professor Andrew Ooi, a staff member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Melbourne University and Associate Dean in the Melbourne School of Engineering. He has taught us ways of thinking that we have never considered before, and engaged the students with his hilarious jokes. We also have the opportunity to meet many successful women, who studied engineering and IT, in the industry. This amazing program is designed to bring change to the male-dominated industries and achieve true gender equality through empowering young women to do what they truly love.

We strongly recommend girls currently in grade 8, who have an interest in STEM subjects, to send in their applications next year. This program has increased our interest in engineering and IT and we believe that Girl Power will provide many young girls with opportunities and knowledge that will change their lives and give them the confidence to join engineering and IT, despite it being a male-dominated field.

- Debora Hirman, Tanisha Gupta and the Girl Power Students