There are a number of similarities between science, technology and engineering, for a start they all have a technical aspect to them and require some level of proficiency in maths, physics and problem solving. Also they are all areas where there is a lack of women in the industry. I am not saying that women can’t do maths, physics or problem solving, just that they don’t seem to be drawn to these subjects by default and as such go on to do other things in different industry areas.
This evening on the BBC news some figures were released and one of the facts was that less females are being born each year than males (2% less according to government statistics). So if this is the case then our science, technology and engineering industries could in theory end up with even less people in these industries. With the numbers of students applying for places on university courses in these disciplines this is a sorry state of affairs. The total number of people studying for these subjects has fallen by 40% since 2001 and to date there seems to be little to no investment from the government and education authorities. As a result of this industry individuals are taking it upon ourselves to educate, encourage and pass on the knowledge.
At the end of the day there will be a need over the next 10 – 20 years for technology, science and engineering experts. The jobs will need to be done and if there aren’t the people in the UK to do it then industry here will decline and with that the economy will falter. The way I see it by doing something good to encourage more people into this industry we are covering our own backs and at the same time get people interested in a set of subjects that could shape their entire future. The jobs are well paid and the work interesting. What I’d like to see is people telling others in the industry why they won’t consider careers in this area. Where is it that the industry reputation letting people down, is it the education system, pereception of roles and the industry as a whole or something more deeply routed, or simply the fact that there are so many other jobs out there that are seemingly more interesting.
What I would like to see is the government to invest in groups like women in technology, girl geek dinners and organisations that support these ventures and those that encourage people into the industry.
About Sarah Lamb
Sarah is the founder of the Girl Geek Dinners & GirlyGeekdom. She is a lover of gadgets, geeky things and sport! Find out more about her on her website.
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