New Actuaries Institute president calls for more women in science
The Actuaries Institute has appointed wealth management industry veteran and UniSuper board member, Nicolette Rubinsztein as its president for 2019, and she has set her sights on changing cultural attitudes towards women pursuing science and tech-related degrees.
Rubinsztein, who advocates for better employment opportunities for women, would be part of the 25 per cent of Actuaries Institute members who are female and, while it’s a pleasing number, she said, it’s a figure that perpetuates back through the pipeline to university graduates.
“The low take-up of advanced maths by girls at school can be attributed to a cultural gender stereotyping and lower confidence in maths, not biological differences in maths ability,” she said.
Rubinsztein said there was increasing evidence that cultural factors drive participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) studies, which was concerning given 75 per cent of future careers would require STEM skills.
The new president called on parents and teachers to encourage female students to study STEM subjects and, despite the issues facing the financial services this year, would do her part to showcase the roles of actuaries across the economy.
AUTHOR
Anastasia Santoreneos
Recommended for you
Zenith Investment Partners has appointed an experienced research executive as its new group head of research following the departure of Bronwen Moncrieff.
The financial services technology company has appointed two non-executive directors following its AGM earlier this year, where it flagged it would embark on a board renewal process.
Several wealth management companies have been selected as finalists at the inaugural awards, which champions those who have transformed the Australian economy with their AI solutions.
Money Management’s sister brand Super Review is pleased to reveal that over 120 finalists will compete for trophies at this year’s awards.
