Women in STEM in Australia are making monumental strides, with new initiatives encouraging women to enter fields such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. According to research from the American Association for University Women, members of society generally tend to associate STEM subjects and careers with ‘masculine’ men. Alexia Defrancesco, a 19-year-old med-school hopeful, has dreamt of becoming a doctor ever since she could talk, however, fulfilling this goal as a female in a male-dominated field has not been without its challenges. “Specialising in cardiology seems ambitious but it’s been my passion for so long, I’ve never really wanted to…