Julianna
This past Saturday, November 15, Laura and Julianna of Webnames.ca had the privilege of hosting an interactive showcase booth as a partner in the 8th annual Girls and STEAM Summit, hosted by Science World in Vancouver. The Summit brought together 300 curious young people (ages 12–14, primarily gender identifying girls but inclusive of participants and mentors of many gender identifies) for a full day of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) exploration, mentorship, and hands-on learning — all rooted in Science World’s commitment to its Science for All strategy.
For Webnames, supporting this summit isn’t just about corporate social responsibility, It’s embedded within our company’s values. Nurturing STEM and STEAM curiosity, especially among underrepresented groups, and helping to close the gender and representation gap in technology has long been part of Team Webnames’ values.
Why Girls and STEAM Matters – The Persistent Gender Gap in STEM at Home and Abroad
The Girls and STEAM Summit is not only a fun, educational event – it’s part of a larger effort to dismantle barriers and open doors in technology to those who lack representation, and its been a theme that we have been exploring on Webnmaes Blog for years.
Let’s run through a quick refresher about why it still remains so important in Canada.
Current Landscape of Women & STEM in Canada
Despite small gains made recently, with women rising to 38.6% of Canada’s tech workforce in 2024 over 36.9% in 2023, the pipeline for girls and women entering and staying in STEM careers in Canada has not greatly improved over the past decade.
While enrolment in STEM programs has grown, women remain underrepresented in critical STEM subfields, especially engineering and computer science. COVID-19 also had complex, long-term impacts on women in technology careers, entrenching preexisting inequalities. Women experienced more layoffs than male counterparts, higher levels of stress and burnout due to the difficulty of balancing work and family life, as well as greater anxiety around missed opportunities for career advancement.
The data below helps paint the picture of the current STEM landscape of women in STEM:
According to a recent Government of Canada report, only about 35% of women aged 25 to 64 with a bachelor’s degree hold a STEM degree, and among those, only 21% work in a STEM field. Statistics Canada, Gender equality report (2025)
Historically, women have been less likely to enroll in STEM fields. Women hold approximately 34% of STEM degrees in Canada, though this figure varies by discipline. Further studies indicate women are 30% less likely to enroll in a post-secondary STEM program shortly after high school graduation Statistics Canada
While the share of women earning STEM degrees has improved over time, progress has plateaued in recent years — suggesting that more targeted supports are still needed. nserc-crsng.gc.ca
Data from the Tech Council of Australia in 2025 shows three key drop off points for women and girls in STEM, including early high school when girls make subject choices, late high school when girls decide what degree to enrol in, and mid-career, when women typically take on additional unpaid caring responsibilities and may encounter systemic issues like a hostile workplace culture. These findings have been corroborated here at home as well.
It’s statistics like these that underscore why programs like the Girls and STEAM Summit are so essential. They help build confidence, offer role models, and create community, all of which can make the difference for young people, especially girls and gender-diverse youth, in choosing and sustaining interest in STEAM.
Webnames & Science World’s Shared Vision
As a partner of Science World’s Girls and STEAM initiative since its inaugural year, Webnames remains invested in nurturing the next generation of STEAM leaders. Our relationship with Science World extends beyond this one initiative, however, and is rooted in two decades of shared values, community engagement, and STEM leadership.
Webnames CEO, Cybele Negris, has served on the Science World Board as Vice Chair for many years, helping guide the organization’s long-term strategy and championing initiatives that expand access to STEAM learning for underrepresented groups. Alongside Cybele’s governance, Webnames staff and their families have been visiting and experiencing Science World’s impact on young and inquisitive minds first hand for decades, bringing a personal dimension to our team’s support for the organization and its mandate.
This year’s participation in Girls and STEAM held special significance for Webnames as we celebrate our 25th anniversary as a proudly local, BC-based technology company. In honour of this milestone, Webnames donated $5000 to Science World programming and partnered to support the Girls and STEAM initiative, reinforcing our longstanding commitment to STEM education, youth mentorship, and community impact.
Learning Through Real World and Online Connection
This year’s Summit attendees got to engage in a variety of interactive experiences, from meeting STEAM professionals oin small groups to learn about different careers, to participating in hands-on engineering, robotics, and labratory workshops. Webnames was one of 30 local organizations hosting interactive experiences showing the types of innovation and STEAM related companies that call BC home.
At our showcase booth, we hosted three quizzes tailored to test cybersecurity, digital privacy, and media literacy. While designed for 12–14-year-olds, these quizzes also drew in adults, including parents, librarians, engineers, even dentists. Across 200 completed quizzes, something stood out: adults weren’t necessarily more savvy than young people. Everyone had areas of vulnerability and opportunities to learn about safer online engagement.
To make the learning more accessible, we are sharing the quizzes below for anyone who wants to try them with their own children or students. Simply click a quiz below to get started!
Moving Forward
As with previous years, left the 2025 Summit inspired by what we saw: bright, curious, critically thinking young minds, ready to challenge assumptions, ask big questions, and build something new.
While the STEM gender gap in Canada and worldwide remains real and requires real work and commitment for it to improve, the momentum we felt on the weekend was inspiring. By supporting initiatives like Girls and STEAM, Webnames hopes to contribute to a future where every young person, regardless of gender identity, feels seen, welcomed, and empowered to build their own path in STEAM fields.
Here’s to future Girls and STEAM Summits, more science and technology focused mentorship and learning opportunities, and a future of brilliant innovation lead by these incredible young people. Special thanks to Kate, Issy and the entire team of Science World staff and volunteers who make this magic happen every year. We can’t wait to see what this generation builds next.