Singapore – Skincare brand Olay has partnered with Publicis Groupe One Singapore for the launch of its newest campaign that targets the gender disparity in India’s STEM field.
The campaign is part of the latest instalment of its #STEMTheGap initiative and aims to shed light on the glaring absence of female mentors and role models in India’s STEM workforce.
As part of the campaign, Olay India collaborated with filmmaker Anand Gandhi to launch a digital film that delves into India’s rich history of remarkable women in STEM. The digital film will pay homage to and showcase the inspiring stories of luminaries like Dr. Anandibai Joshi, Kamala Sohonie, Dr. Janaki Ammal, and Kalpana Chawla, among others.
The film will highlight the urgent need for more female role models in STEM today and will also shed light on the societal biases deterring young girls from pursuing STEM careers by emphasising the crucial role of female mentors in the field.
Aside from the digital film, Olay also launched the beta version of a web-based virtual chat mentor that will offer guidance and information to aspiring young girls seeking to enter the world of STEM.
The virtual chat mentor, a supplement to Olay’s mentorship programme,will provide the user with knowledge, resources, and encouragement on their journeys. It was created with the help of successful women in different STEM fields in India, such as Shannon Olsson, founder and global director at Echo Network; Swarna Manjari, communication designer; Dr. Vandana Prasad, community paediatrician and public health professional; and Tarunima Prabhakar, tech and policy research at Tattle Civic Tech and Carnegie India, to name a few.
Olay’s campaign is crafted based on the results of their commissioned survey, which found a huge gap between female STEM graduates and those who actually made it into the workforce in India. A staggering number of its respondents also mentioned the need for female role models in STEM as a way to influence them to pursue their careers.
To encourage future women in STEM, Olay also continues to partner with LEAD, a school EdTech provider in India, to sponsor STEM scholarships for 250+ underprivileged girls. These scholarships aim to empower girls across India by providing them with financial support for STEM education and career development.
Priyali Kamath, senior vice president of skin and personal care at Procter & Gamble (P&G) Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa, explained, “For decades, Procter & Gamble’s legacy skincare brand Olay has maintained a deep understanding of women’s changing needs through science. At Olay, we understand the critical importance of female role models in the STEM field, and our commitment to bridging the gender gap is unparalleled. This year’s theme, centred on the significance of role models and the introduction of mentorship initiatives, highlights our commitment to ensuring every young girl knows that she can be the next leader in her field.”
She added, “Through initiatives like #STEMTheGap and our commitment to gender equality, we are working hard to double the number of women in STEM by 2030 and create a more inclusive and equitable future. We’re proud to recognise and support the next generation of women in STEM who will one day be making history in their respective fields and become role models for young girls in the future.”
Ajay Vikram, chief creative officer for Southeast Asia at Publicis Groupe, also commented, “There are many accomplished women leaders in STEM in India today. Yet, a ‘lack of mentors’ is often cited as a big reason why so few women make a career in STEM. This got us thinking. How do we not just celebrate the achievements of women in STEM but actually be useful—to be there at the very moment when needed, a friend and guide to any girl or woman looking for answers as they stand at the crossroads of choosing their path forward. Technology came in handy as a way to help, but we can’t wait to see how much more Ai-shu can do to help women find their way to a future of their choosing.”
