by Julie Lata

Oct 10, 2019

We’re celebrating this year’s UN International Day of the Girl (Oct. 11) by sharing some of the many ways Applied Materials employees are supporting gender equity and female empowerment. It’s great to see our employees engaged in:

• Learning about the role women have played in shaping history;
• Introducing and motivating female family members and friends to learn about engineering and science; and
• Volunteering to provide a source of inspiration to and be a positive role model for girls.

Learning about the Role of Women in History

Did You Know? Only 31 percent of children’s books feature a female character, and only 13 percent feature a person of color.*

What We’re Doing in Response: In Silicon Valley, Nadine is focused on learning more about women influencers whose stories are often overlooked. She’s currently reading Stephanie Warren Drimmer’s “The Book of Heroines,” which chronicles the lives and actions of powerful women, so she can learn their stories and share them with those around her. Santa Clara-based Jessica has been reading the Little Feminist Board Book set to her infant son, to ensure he grows up knowing examples of strong women and men in history.

Introducing New Subjects to Female Family Members

Did You Know? Girls are more than twice as likely to say they'll study computer science in high school and 3x as likely to say they'll study computer science in college when both a teacher and parent support them.**

What We’re Doing in Response: To ensure girls are introduced to engineering at a young age, Clara in Austin gives engineering tinkering kits to the females in her family. Marisela, also in Austin, has been a source of inspiration and guidance for her grandniece, who is studying to major in civil engineering. She always makes sure to encourage her to push on and “to never let anyone tell her she can’t achieve her goals.”

Inspiring through Volunteerism

Did You Know? Introducing girls to role models who come from diverse backgrounds and varying career paths can help break down the stereotype of a typical “tech worker.”***

What We’re Doing in Response: Elizabeth and Erika have recently started working with Applied’s Young Professionals Network in California to host young women participating in Techbridge Girls. Employee volunteers, led by Elizabeth and Erika, are teaching attendees about microchips and other basic engineering concepts during visits to Applied’s Silicon Valley campus.

Peter recently volunteered with The University of Texas at Austin’s Women in Engineering Program for a “Lunch with an Engineer” event, which introduces high school seniors with aspirations to major in engineering to tech professionals. 

For the last few years, Callie has been running a workshop with colleagues at Expanding Your Horizons Flathead in Montana. Callie says of the event, “I’ve had girls walk away really excited about working in the semiconductor industry in a variety of disciplines, and I couldn’t ask for more, especially for students who have very little exposure to the technology industry’s mainstream jobs.”

And now, we turn to you, our readers—please leave a comment sharing how you are supporting female empowerment in your community!

To learn more about how Applied Materials and the Applied Materials Foundation are encouraging girls to pursue their dreams, check out our Generation Girl™ initiative. To learn about the steps the company has made to create a safer, more equitable and sustainable future, we invite you to read our most recent CSR report. To continue the conversation, follow us @Applied4Good.

Sources:

* Little Feminist

**Closing the STEM Gap: 5 insights that can make a difference for girls and young women 

***Women in the Workplace: Key Barriers to and Recommendations for Increasing Female Participation in Male-Dominated Fields

Tags: generation girl, gender equity, international day of the girl, employee engagement, employee volunteers