Women make for 35% STEM graduates globally; maths, gender stereotypes major reasons: UNESCO

New Delhi: Women make for only 35 per cent of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduates globally with no significant progress made in last decade, according to UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring (GEM) team which has flagged low confidence in mathematics and negative gender stereotypes as major reasons behind the trend.

The team which analyses the development and trends in education sector across the globe pointed out that the digital transformation is led by men and women constitute only 26 per cent of workforce in data and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

"Critical data from 2018–23 shows that women made up only 35 per cent of STEM graduates globally, with no progress over the past 10 years. Part of this can be explained by the fact that girls' confidence in mathematics appears to be knocked early, even when they perform well. Part of it can be explained by negative gender stereotypes that also prevent women from pursuing STEM careers," a member of GEM team told PTI.

"Only one in four women with an information technology degree took up digital occupations in the European Union, compared with over one in two men. The digital transformation is led by men. Women constitute only 26 per cent of employees in data and artificial intelligence, 15 per cent in engineering, and 12 per cent in cloud computing across the world's leading economies. This is a loss to society," the official added.

The team has noted that while 68 per cent of countries globally have policies to support STEM education, only half of these policies specifically target girls and women.

The GEM has launched an advocacy brief that proposes actions countries should take to redress the balance.

"Countries need to include gender-responsive school counselling and career orientation to nurture girls' talents and interests in STEM and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). A key element of this kind of gender-sensitive orientation is professional training in gender-responsive guidance for teachers and counsellors. Career guidance programmes should aim to raise awareness among parents to enable them to play supportive roles free of biased notions of gender-appropriate careers," the brief read.

The advocacy brief has noted that girls need to see women succeeding in STEM fields in order to believe that they can do it too and counselling and guidance can help girls see STEM pathways they would not have considered, while role models and mentorship activities can challenge stereotypes about ‘gender-suitable’ subjects.

"Schools can create STEM clubs and organisations that are led by female students and teachers. They can also partner with local businesses and organisations to provide girls with opportunities to meet and learn from female STEM professionals and enable them to see that their skills are valuable in technical occupation. Female mentors can also improve the culture of STEM workplaces, which can be male-dominated and hostile to women," it said.

Training teachers and school leaders to start early in overcoming STEM gender bias, enhancing girls’ digital literacy to close the skills gender gap and reviewing teaching and learning materials for negative gender bias on "appropriate" study choices, are among the recommendations made by GEM.

"A framework of digital competences should be prepared to provides guidance for the skills all learners should acquire, no matter their gender. Teachers should work towards overturning girls’ mathematics anxiety, helping make STEM relevant to girls’ interests as well as addressing their own bias and stereotypes.

"In primary school, teachers can use gender-neutral language when teaching STEM concepts and provide opportunities for girls to explore STEM activities. They can also invite female STEM professionals to speak to the class," the brief said.