Why is there a lack of Indigenous participation in STEM?

Disclaimer: Readers please be advised this article features antiquated and racist terminology in resources that reflect the time it was written. This article also mentions the Stolen Generation and other acts of racism against First Nations people.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are reported to be a group who perform poorly in STEM subjects. According to Universities Australia, while there is a slow increase for Indigenous students choosing to study STEM topics, graduate numbers are still quite low.

I have often seen science being stigmatised as something “too smart” for many Indigenous students and can be intimidating to get into. 

But science is not for the smartest students, but the most inquisitive and  communicative. Science is in the earth, the stars, animals,  plants, the riverways – everything. Science is about observing and making understandings of the world  around you.

I have often wondered if perhaps Indigenous students don’t perform well in STEM or felt encouraged to pursue this career, because of the history of some sciences, namely those involving evolution and biological sciences historically justified the violence of colonisation on Indigenous populations.

Australia’s ongoing legacy of poor science practices

Since colonisation in 1788, sentiments on eugenics in Australia arose around the Stolen Generations, with Aboriginal children being taken away from their families, raised by white parents or put into service, and encouraged to marry lower class white people to decrease the amount of ‘black’ blood in future children. Members of government  such as Dr Cecil Cook, who was the ‘Chief Protector of Aborigines (sic)’ in the Northern Territory, pushed for the approval of forced sterilisation on ‘full blooded (sic)’ Aboriginal  women to prevent them giving birth.

Even now, some academic studies don’t respect the Indigenous nations they are working with, or the Country they are working on. One way to address this could be the inclusion of more Indigenous scientists, however there are many barriers to Indigenous people establishing careers in these fields.

The cycle of poor education access 

The Australian government has a habit of blaming First Nations peoples’ circumstances or  communities for issues when so many systems and institutions in this country are the source of the issue. From looking at the largely outdated information on the Australian Government Department of Education website, we can see from a report in 2015, the government claimed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students were doing poorly in STEM subjects due to…. their parent’s career advice?

My parents didn’t come from STEM backgrounds, but they never discouraged me from pursuing a career in this field. My grandmother didn’t finish high school, but worked hard to bridge that gap as she feared for her children’s fate if this cycle of lack of access to education continued. She studied as a mature aged student after having children and got a Bachelors in Science, majoring in Allied Health. She always encouraged our family to pursue a university degree. Without her, I don’t think I would have finished high school or gone to university. 

Just like lots of kids growing up, I wanted to be a veterinarian or a zoologist. I didn’t realise either of these were STEM careers (even though they are), because most vets and zoologists I saw were female, and STEM has historically been considered a fairly male-dominated career. 

In high school I wasn’t very social, however I always had a keen observation for nature, especially animals. I always loved thinking of theories on why a plant or animal evolved a certain way and would compare the differences of my anatomy with my family dog. I loved Biology and Maths, however my grades were subpar due to my poor English literacy which reflected on my grades. This was detrimental to my ability to read my textbooks, and it took much longer for me to process and understand concepts that a lot of my peers were able to  memorise quickly.

After receiving my high school certificate and average grades, I was extremely discouraged from pursuing a science degree in university. After a few years of working retail and hospitality, I decided to do a certificate III in Tafe in Animal Studies, and I realised my passion for animals could become a career. I did extremely well in this course and I ended up working as a Veterinary Nurse in a few animal clinics and I loved it. Seeing how things worked in action and working with other people who were also passionate about this enabled me to learn very fast because there was always a “Why” we are doing something, we weren’t simply just doing it. 

From this experience, I truly believe multiple learning initiatives should be made to allow for diverse learners. This has proven effective in some fields. During a week-long Mathematics Workshop programme, the University of Sydney found introducing more dialogic (listening and responding) elements into the way they introduced mathematics to Indigenous high school students was an effective way to engage them.

I found something similar in my learning experience while at high school. Due to my learning literacy falling behind compared to my classmates in high school, I desperately  struggled with the basics of understanding biology. However, when I had a mentor I could speak to, I was able to completely understand and was given the space to learn.

Often inaccessible learning systems in schools can leave the most vulnerable students behind. Unfortunately some Indigenous families still face barriers to education, as reported by the Australian Government, only 7.8% of Indigenous people having a Bachelor’s degree or higher,

The rates of school retention in Indigenous students decreases the more remote their location is. As we know, the closer to major cities and metropolitan areas the more students and thus more funding schools receive. Figure 1 is a table that demonstrates Indigenous rate of adults aged 20-24 attainment of a year 12 certificate or equivalent over remoteness of their residence in 2021. 

Factoring in regionality, quality of education and racism, Indigenous students in remote areas are at an exceptional disadvantage of being able to complete school by having to move away from home and their communities to possibly experience racism from their teachers or peers, away from their support system.

Figure 1: Survey in 2021 showing a decreasing rate of Indigenous year 12 or equivalent from Major city to very remote (From Australian Government Education outcome for young people). 

Indigenous Knowledges in science  

Over the last 20 years, First Nations peoples in Australia have increasingly had their respective knowledges recognised in sciences; through landscape management, bush medicines, horticulture, astronomy, and aerodynamics. Despite this, Indigenous technologies and knowledges continue to be viewed by some non-Indigenous people as antiquated, primitive, or stagnant. Highlighting how Indigenous  people have and are engaging with sciences is essential to encouraging more Indigenous students to join STEM studies.  

Indigenous led programs can potentially expose Indigenous students to the prospect of pursuing a STEM university degree and career. DeadlyScience is a program that sends resources to primary schools and highschools and encourages students to engage with STEM. Kamilaroi man Correy Tutt started Deadly Science to address the education barriers Indigenous students often face in regional and rural areas. By running classes and providing resources from Indigenous adults to Indigenous students, this program promotes STEM while showcasing career opportunities with community. 

As a black STEM advocate I would like to create an understanding and proper absorption of the cruel history of STEM and its participation in black history. But also highlight how Indigenous people have always, and will always be, scientists in their own right. STEM is an amazing career path for those who are passionate and interested in the natural or technological world around us.