Women Supporting Women Day: Five Ways Women in STEM Can Lift Each Other
Women Supporting Women Day (December 1) is a call to action. In a moment where STEM industries are rapidly evolving, where AI is reshaping the world of work, and where early-career and career-changing professionals are navigating uncertainty and transition, the need for genuine community has never been greater.
For women in STEM, who remain significantly underrepresented across both entry-level and leadership roles, supporting one another isn’t just a feel-good sentiment.
It’s strategy.
It’s survival.
And it’s how we build pathways that last.
Being a “girls’ girl” in STEM isn’t about perfection or performative empowerment. It’s about actively choosing to make space, open doors, and extend support in ways that strengthen our collective future. Here are five powerful ways women in STEM can support one another—today and every day.
Share What You Know (Don’t Gatekeep the Good Stuff)
Information is one of the most powerful currencies in STEM. Whether it’s a certification that boosted your pay, an upcoming fellowship opportunity, a recruiter who actually responds, or a piece of career advice you wish you’d had sooner—sharing knowledge can be transformative.
Too often, women in male-dominated industries are conditioned to believe scarcity is the rule: there’s only room for a few of us, so we have to compete. But the truth is that when women share information freely, entire networks rise. Your insight can be the reason another woman negotiates better, gets promoted, or takes the leap she’s been hesitant to make.
Celebrate Loudly and Publicly
Visibility matters. And while quiet support is meaningful, public celebration can open doors in ways private encouragement cannot.
Hype your colleagues’ wins. Comment on their posts. Nominate them for opportunities. A quick endorsement or shoutout can shift someone’s visibility and in STEM, where women remain overlooked or undervalued in hiring and leadership pipelines, this visibility is essential.
Collective celebration builds collective momentum.
Create Space for Rest, Not Just Productivity
Women in STEM shoulder immense pressure: to excel, break barriers, advocate for diversity, and support their teams—all while fighting burnout at disproportionate rates. One of the most powerful ways we can support each other is by normalizing rest.
Ask women how they’re really doing.
Encourage taking time off without guilt. Share strategies for managing stress, setting boundaries, and protecting mental health. Supporting women means supporting their humanity, not just their output.
Mentor and Be Mentored
Mentorship in STEM is often framed as a top-down relationship, but in reality, we all have something to give and something to gain. Peer mentorship is just as powerful as executive-level guidance.
Offer guidance to someone coming behind you. Seek wisdom from someone ahead of you. And don’t underestimate the power of lateral support—the colleague who understands your challenges because she’s navigating them too.
Mentorship isn’t a hierarchy; it’s a circle.
Build Community, Not Just Connections
Networking helps you exchange business cards. Community helps you build a career.
Now more than ever, women in STEM need spaces where they can share resources, ask honest questions, build confidence, and grow together. Digital communities, employee resource groups, professional networks, and peer cohorts all create the conditions for women to thrive—not in isolation, but alongside one another.
When women support women, STEM becomes more inclusive and more innovative.
On Women Supporting Women Day, let’s honor the power of showing up for ourselves, for our peers, and for the next generation. Because when women in STEM support one another, we change the future.
