Minister: Women Must Pursue Leadership Roles In Stem

KUCHING (Oct 6): Women must move beyond participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and technology into leadership, decision-making and positions of influence, said Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.

The Sarawak Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development said women were already entering the talent pipeline in significant numbers, but their representation continued to shrink as they moved higher up the career ladder.

“Research has found that 50 per cent of women in technology roles leave by the age of 35.

“When women leave midway through their careers, we do not only lose talent; we lose potential founders, researchers, executives, investors and decision-makers,” she said when officiating the SHE-TECH Asia Forum 2026 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here on Monday.

Fatimah said the challenge was no longer simply about getting women through the door, but creating opportunities for them to advance into positions where they could set direction, make decisions, lead major projects and create opportunities for others.

“Participation gets women through the door. That is the start.

“How do we then translate participation into leadership, where women have authority and the power to make decisions?” she questioned.

Fatimah noted that three areas needed greater attention — ensuring training led to responsibility, retaining women long enough for them to lead, and improving women’s access to capital and commercialisation opportunities.

She emphasised that the ecosystem supporting women also need to address childcare, eldercare, flexible work, career continuity, workplace culture, mentoring and sponsorship.

“These responsibilities cannot rest with women alone.

“The government can create enabling policies and programmes, but this cannot rest with just our ministry, the Ministry of Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development — it has to cut across ministries,” she said.

Themed ‘From Participation to Power’, Fatimah said the forum reflects the next stage of progress — moving women from participation into positions of influence and decision-making.

She said SHE-TECH plays a vital role in bringing policymakers, investors, founders, researchers and industry together with students, graduates and young professionals to identify how each part of the ecosystem could help advance women’s leadership.

“Meaningful change happens when conversations lead to commitments, commitments lead to action, and action is sustained over time,” she added.

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