To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the education system encourages gender equality in science.
Answered on
23 June 2015
There are positive signs that more girls are choosing to study science. Since 2010, A Level entries by girls rose across science subjects: for physics the rise is 16%; for chemistry 23%; and for biology 16%. The Department for Education has reviewed the national curriculum to ensure that it sets expectations which are equal to those set in the highest-performing education jurisdictions in the world. The new science curriculum provides the opportunity for teachers to highlight the achievements and contributions of women in science and reaffirms the need for schools to take account of their duties under equalities legislation.
The Department funds the Stimulating Physics Network to increase take up of A Level physics, particularly among girls. The Department also funds Engineering UK to deliver a programme of Big Bang Near Me activities, local versions of the national Big Bang Science and Engineering Fair, to over 80,000 young people with an equal split of boys and girls. The STEM Ambassadors Programme, funded by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, has over 40% women ambassadors and helps to raise awareness among children of the range of careers that science can offer. The Your Life campaign, which was launched by the government in November 2014, will aim to change the perceptions of science and mathematics among all young people, but with a focus on girls.