Professional development to support gender equity in STEM education in Australia and Saudi Arabia

STEM plays a pivotal role in human cognition and is part of goal five of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of gender equity. Despite this, females worldwide continue to face inequalities in their education and job opportunities in these fields. Our project developed and delivered practical workshops to actively engage Early Childhood (EC) teachers in Saudi Arabia, fostering gender equity in the implementation of STEM education. The project was funded by the Council of AustralianArab Relations (CAAR) within the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Following the 2024 workshops, collaborative research was conducted, studying the impact of the professional development on early childhood teachers’ STEM teaching practices.