On International Women's Day #choosetochallenge breaking down those STEM barriers

Only one in four of the UK’s STEM workforce at women

For tech and housing, the theme of International Women’s Day 2021 #choosetochallenge is apt. The big challenge for our sector and governments is how to tackle the under-representation of young women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) courses and careers.

Demand for these skills is booming, yet women make up just 24% of the UK’s four million STEM workforce.

Covid-19 risks impacting progress too, with 60% of female students saying the pandemic has affected their career prospects, according to research for STEM Women.

Narrowing that gender chasm is not a ‘nice to have’  but good for society, good for business and good for the economy. 

The European Institute for Gender Equality estimates closing the gap would boost economic growth via higher productivity to the tune of €820 billion by 2050.

Change will not come overnight. But here in Scotland we can focus on breaking down the barriers to entry for females at all stages of the STEM pipeline: from education at nursery level, to subject choice at secondary school to taking that first step into the workplace.

As IWD say: “A challenged world is an alert world, and from challenge comes change.” So let’s choose to challenge and champion gender balance in STEM.

#iwd2021 #choosetochallenge #stemwomen