How we can tackle the gender imbalance in STEM industries - Rebecca Bowen

While there has been notable progress over the last century when it comes to attracting more women into STEM industries, much work needs to be done if we are to ever achieve a gender-balanced sector.

Not only are the numbers concerning at employment level, but they also remain a worry at the education stage with the opportunity to engage early and ‘sell’ the STEM subjects to girls who are pondering their career options clearly one that is being missed.

Reports have revealed how the maths/science gender gap between boys and girls in Year 5 and Year 9 is significantly larger than in previous years, how STEM subjects account for just 30.3 per cent of all female A-Level entries, compared to 47.7 per cent for males and how at university, there are only 25 per cent of graduates in STEM subjects who are women, compared to 52 per cent who are male.

If we cannot promote STEMs as a viable option to our young women in education then there is little hope of achieving it when they are looking for employment, where just 26.6 per cent of the STEM workforce and 24 per cent of the Tech industry is made up of women.

At Ashville, we are already working hard on breaking down these gender barriers by making sure all our pupils are aware of the opportunities open to them. Recent numbers show how girls are not only showing greater interest in the subjects, they are also excelling at them with many going on to forge career paths in the science sector.

In total, 60 per cent of Ashville girls who took Higher GCSE Physics in 2024 achieved grades 8-9, while more than half of the Lower Sixth Science A Level cohort is female – the most female-dominant subject area in Sixth Form.

Such early messaging is crucial if we are to make a difference. Mentorship, partnering with industry experts and awareness of the opportunities available must then follow as we slowly remove the old stereotypes which have held young girls and women back for so long.

Even the great Marie Curie herself has a key role to play as we look to make the most of those few women who have shut out the discrimination and succeeded in their STEM careers.

Role models such as Dame Sarah Gilbert and Dr Catherine Green OBE, who led the scientists behind the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, Libby Jackson, the UK Space Agency’s Head of Space Exploration and Rosalind Franklin, the British scientist known for her work on discovering the molecular structure of DNA, viruses, coal and graphite can all inspire those who wish to follow in their footsteps.

The way of progress is certainly not easy and by no means swift, but by working together we have a great opportunity to finally do Marie proud and redress the STEM gender bias.

Rebecca Bowen is director of science at Ashville, Harrogate.