An increasing number of teenage girls are looking at careers in science, technology, engineering and maths, a new survey has found.
The I Wish report found 93 per cent of female transition-year students reject the idea that boys are more suited to STEM careers, up from 78 per cent in 2016, and 84 per cent said they want to learn more about the subject.
But nearly two-thirds of female students said persistent lack of gender equality in STEM was a barrier, with 46 per cent saying stereotypes were a reason for the lower participation in STEM careers by women. Two-thirds of the teenage girls surveyed said there was insufficient information on such careers, while 61 per cent said they did not have access to work experience in the field.
A total of 2,583 teenage girls took part in the study, with 55 per cent from single-sex schools.
“Our aim at I Wish is to increase female participation in STEM, to enable teenage girls to play an equal part in shaping their future and solving the problems of the world today. We are very proud of the progress made to date, evident in our 2022 report. It is fantastic to see that perception of gender stereotypes has changed so significantly. At the same time, we see the need for continued and focused effort,” said Gillian Keating, co-founder of I Wish.
“Factors that persist for female students in considering STEM careers are poor gender equality and a lack of confidence in their ability and potential to succeed in STEM. Teenage girls need a vision for a future in STEM as scientists, technologists and engineers. This is what we work to bring through I Wish — improving access to female role models and STEM work experience.”
Launching the report, Taoiseach Micheál Martin welcomed its findings, saying there was evidence of real change in the perceptions of female students around STEM. “Education will always be very important to me and empowering female students in STEM as part of primary and secondary school education is vital to an equal society and sustainable growth,” he said.
The survey found more than half of teenage girls lacked confidence in their ability to pursue a STEM career, and 52 per cent said a lack of female role models was a factor.
But parents and close family have a role to play, with the report highlighting that, post-pandemic, they outrank teachers as the most important influencers in choosing Leaving Certificate subjects for almost 60 per cent of students.
Girls accounted for 51 per cent of students taking higher level maths, with 29 per cent taking applied maths, and 23 per cent taking computer science. Some 9 per cent are taking engineering — a total of 219 girls.
“We are seeing a positive trend in female STEM undergraduate enrolments, with a steady increase in the number of female new entrants into STEM undergraduate programmes from 29 per cent in 2014 to 36 per cent in 2021, according to HEA data [2022],” said Caroline O’Driscoll, co-founder of the initiative. “Across almost all disciplines, female enrolments in engineering almost doubled during that time, albeit from a low base. However, there remains a challenge in physics and the physical sciences, where female participation has gradually declined since 2014. Therefore, we need to continue with targeted interventions, such as I Wish, so that we can steer the world towards gender parity in STEM.”
`She added: “Encouraging increased in female participation in STEM degree programmes serves to further increase the pool of female role models. Important improvements are evident with young women choosing STEM courses at third level across almost all STEM disciplines, although a reduction in numbers has been observed in physics.”
I Wish aims to inspire teenage girls globally towards STEM. The ninth annual I Wish STEM Showcase will take place on February 28th, 2023 at the RDS in Dublin.
