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Neither Mathematics nor Physics.
And of Technology, better not even talk.
It is the buzz that sounds these days among the young students who take the
EBAU exams
in the different autonomous communities.
In the discussion tables, the debate about the gender gap in STEAM careers (acronym in English that groups science, technology, engineering, arts, innovation and creativity and mathematics) is like a pre-summer hit.
Much success and little scope.
At least that's what the latest alert says from different investigations and professionals consulted by Yo Dona.
The crack, instead of descending, is increasing.
What's going on?
Will we ever solve the mystery?
Is it transcendent that women look with reluctance at STEAM careers?
The picture that emerges from the latest x-ray of the gender gap in training, published by the Equality Unit of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, is discouraging.
"In recent years, the number of women who choose to study Mathematics, Computer Science or Telecommunications Engineering has decreased.
On the other hand, in those itineraries linked to health and care, they represent a large majority compared to men, both in Vocational Training and at the university", advances Yo Dona Montserrat Grañeras, head of Equality in the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training and main author of the study.
The causes
What happens from the time a girl or woman can choose her study options to vocational training or university?
In her opinion there are several whys.
"We have not finished achieving an unequal distribution in the exercise of co-
responsibility
in personal and family life. The distribution of roles has not changed much and the weight of domestic and care tasks continues to fall mostly on them, although in the surveys the men say otherwise. Nor have we eliminated gender biases and stereotypes that lead to more than evident feminization in sectors such as education, health and social services."
Finally, Grañeras points out the lack of female references and mirrors in which to look at oneself to project their future.
His words coincide with the data provided by Spanish public universities.
In Physics studies, for example, female students represent
26.65%, compared to 73.35% of male students.
In Computing, the percentages are also uneven: 12.74% of women compared to 87.26 of men.
In Mathematics there are 63.74% of male students and 36.26% of female students.
Nor do adolescents opt in a similar proportion to men for training itineraries related to STEAM, neither in Baccalaureate nor in Vocational Training.
Continuing with this report, their presence in the technological branch of FP tends to be testimonial: 6% in Automation and industrial robotics and 10% in Computer Science.
Loss of female talent
It is not, therefore, a subjective perception.
Nor can it be interpreted as an inconsequential choice on the part of the students.
"Women risk their
future employment
and society's most immediate development. We are talking about strategic and decisive sectors in full technologyization of the market, of our daily life and of society in general", indicates Grañeras.
This is confirmed by Amaya Mendikoetxea, delegate of the presidency of the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE) for Equality Policies:
"This increase in the gap is extremely important
considering that everything related to digitization and information technologies information and communication is one of the sectors where there is a greater job offer. We are losing female talent in some disciplines that will mark the future of an increasingly technological society".
a global situation
The problem is not exclusive to Spain.
The latest analysis published by the OECD in the 'Panorama of Education' report, in its 2021 edition, reaffirms that
in almost all countries
women are the majority in the field of health and well-being, but they are underrepresented in the sciences , technologies, mathematics and engineering.
And this despite the strong growth of female participation in higher education.
In 2017, 51% of women compared to 28% of men, aged 25 to 34, had a higher degree in OECD countries.
In terms of performance and educational results throughout the different educational stages,
their abilities and talents are beyond doubt.
From the beginning
The curious thing is that apprehension begins in our first years of life.
Researchers from the universities of Houston and Washington found that
from the age of six,
girls begin to think that boys are more capable than they are.
The trend continues into adolescence, generating less self-confidence than boys.
The study 'The ABC of Gender Equality in Education' (OECD, 2015) concluded that the lower presence of girls in technical careers could be partly justified by their
lack of self-confidence when it
comes to recognizing their own abilities in mathematics and / or technology, linked to a combination of stereotypes and social expectations together with the lack of scientific references in which to see themselves reflected that Grañeras tells us about.
It is something that is repeated as soon as professionals investigate it.
Researchers from the University of Zaragoza published a study in the journal 'IEEE Transactions on Education' with the opinion of 2,137 Aragonese primary school students.
The main conclusion was that
75% of the boys and 55% of the girls considered themselves to be good at math.
The divergence widened as the students grew older.
They also observed that girls show much higher anxiety before math tests, despite the fact that the results are similar in both sexes.
a serious mistake
Mendikoetxea, who has participated this week in a discussion forum on knowledge, transfer and creation of companies with a gender perspective, insists that society
cannot afford to do without female talent.
The demand for jobs in the digital technologies, science and engineering sector will grow by 16% until 2030, according to the European Union report 'The Changing Nature of Work'.
The labor market is going to demand profiles with this knowledge and women cannot be left out.
"Not only do we bring diversity, but also
another way of working, more collaborative, more empathetic and more willing to accept other points of view.
Its presence is also fundamental in Artificial Intelligence and in algorithms to avoid gender bias. If a part of the talent despises these disciplines, the risk of falling behind in progress is very high. Closing this gap will be progressive, but we have to achieve it", insists the CRUE spokeswoman.
The solutions
Once the diagnosis is clear, there is no time for regrets.
How to arouse that interest to reverse the flight of female talent?
"You have to build
an attractive story
that gets a girl to imagine, for example, building a robot that will make life easier or developing a material that respects the environment", Grañeras proposes.
It is important that they visualize
the usefulness
of STEAM and all that they can contribute to society, to the improvement of people's lives and to the sustainability of the current way of life.
It is also important to eliminate the stereotypes that still persist and give visibility to their achievements.
Politics is promoting the creation of an observatory and other projects that encourage companies, entities and other stakeholders to provide a new approach.
For example, Niñas en pie de Ciencia or the commitment to the Steam Alliance for female talent, to which more than a hundred members from different fields have joined.
This is the case of Macmillan Education and BQ Education, which have announced their adhesion to bMaker, an educational project that seeks to prepare children for the future through technology and creativity.
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