It's Time For Change

Girls are not picking as many STEM subjects as boys, while professional female scientists are dropping out of the field. Does science have a problem with women?

- Alice Lipscombe-Southwell

Back in the 19th Century, Ada Lovelace carried out pioneering computing work on the Analytical Engine with Charles Babbage, at a time when few women were schooled in maths and sciences. The aim of Ada Lovelace Day is to increase the profile of women in similar careers and to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and mathematicians. This is important, because there are around 40,000 skilled STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) jobs left vacant each year in the UK alone.

The growing science, engineering and technology industries are crying out for people with STEM qualifications, yet students appear to not be selecting these subjects. This is particularly marked among girls, with just 19% choosing two STEM subjects at A-level compared to 33% of boys in the UK. According to the campaigning body Women Into Science and Engineering (WISE), computing, further maths and physics at A-level have particularly low proportions of female entrants, at 10%, 28% and 22% respectively. Women who do continue on to a science-based career therefore end up in a minority, making up just 23% of people in core STEM occupations. Numbers are slowly rising, which is encouraging, but what is keeping young women from choosing STEM subjects and careers, and why do women have a tougher time reaching the top and staying there? We talk to four women currently working in STEM about their experiences, the problems faced by women and girls, and how we can fix the issues.

What inspired you to get into STEM?

Aoife I was lucky, I had a family that was pro-maths. I always just followed the thing that I loved, despite getting quite a low mark at A-level maths! I pursued it to degree level, despite advice from teachers saying I definitely shouldn’t do it.