Article

The STEM field is failing to attract female talent

Mireia Usart, Sònia Sánchez-Canut and Beatriz Lores, Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Project selected in the Social Research Call 2019 (LCF/PR/SR19/52540001)

The need to intensify women’s positioning in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is currently under the spotlight of public debate. Increasingly, different professions require an entire range of sets of technical knowledge, which means that women’s low participation in the STEM fields could leave them in a situation of inequality with respect to men. In Spain, women account for only 16% of professionals in the STEM fields. Also significant is the low percentage of women interested in taking a degree related to this field. Thus, the gender gap related to science and technology studies continues to represent a problem in university education. Despite the fact that different administrations, both state and international, are promoting an increase in these vocations, a loss of STEM talent is being observed that needs to be remedied. For this reason, it is fundamental to connect women with STEM subjects from the very first years of their school life.
Key points
  • 1
       In Spain, only 16% of professionals in the STEM field are women, and very few adolescent females, just 0.7%, show interest in studying a degree related to digital technologies, versus 7% of men.
  • 2
       Women enrol less on science and technology university courses than men, although once their studies have commenced, it is women who present the lowest dropout rates, above all in the in-person education modality. For virtual degrees, the tendency is inverted: over half of women drop out of their courses, and this proportion increases in the areas of engineering and maths.
  • 3
       The achievement of women in STEM area courses, measured as the percentage of subjects passed with respect to those in which they are enrolled, is greater than that of men.
  • 4
       The average grade in STEM university courses is similar for both sexes, although men obtain a better grade in their academic record for courses linked to mathematics, while women excel in engineering and architecture.
graficos_sternEN_1.png

Classification

Tags

Subject areas

Related content

Article

Gender inequality in paid and unpaid work after the pandemic

Following the pandemic, 30% of men and 33% of women with children who are minors have been working from home at least one day a week. According to this study, this could favour greater equality in relation to family responsibilities.

Article

How do gender, experience and caseload affect judicial decisions on intimate-partner violence cases?

Are male and female judges equally likely to grant restraining orders in cases of gender-based violence? According to this study, gender alone is not a determining factor but it is a key factor, together with experience and caseload.

Article

Do men live in wealthier households than women?

Does a gender gap exist in relation to household wealth? According to this study, the difference is more pronounced at advanced ages since, in old age, women have greater probabilities of being widowed and seeing their wealth limited.

Article

Evolution of science and technology in Portugal and Spain

The European Union set a target for the business sector to invest 2% of GDP in R&D. How is the convergence of Spain and Portugal towards this goal progressing?

Best practices

The use of public engagement for technological innovation

What is society’s opinion regarding the possible impacts of science and technology? Establishing citizen participation mechanisms is necessary to generate confidence and detect points for improvement.

You may also find interesting

Young people with specific educational support needs suffer double the amount of cyberharassment

Article

Young people with specific educational support needs suffer double the amount of cyberharassment


Science

Students with specific educational support needs (NEAE) are especially vulnerable to suffering cyberharassment.

How Spanish and Portuguese young people use their mobile phones

Article

How Spanish and Portuguese young people use their mobile phones


Science

Young people from both countries use their mobile phones in similar ways. However, slight differences exist between their profiles.

Do Internet usage and education play a role in health inequalities? A study of the Spanish population aged 50-79

Article

Do Internet usage and education play a role in health inequalities? A study of the Spanish population aged 50-79


Science

Can the Internet help us to maintain good health? According to this study, improving the health literacy of the population and providing them with access to the internet could help reduce health inequalities.