Image: “What is the future of STEM education in the U.S.?” by opensourceway is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
There is still a gap between the number of men and women in STEM professions and the plummeting numeracy results from girls compared to boys in the NAPLAN test could mean that the future of STEM will see the voice of women dwindle.
NAPLAN results will be released in the coming weeks and are an indication to schools, in particular the year 9 cohort, as to what subjects students will choose to study in VCE. Boys have been performing higher than girls in bands 9 and 10 which is the top result one can achieve in the NAPLAN examination. This raises the question of whether schools are effectively utilising the results and thinking of ways to encourage more girls to continue in subjects such as Maths and Science.
Boys have more confidence and a greater interest towards STEM subjects; Maths, Science, Technology and Engineering compared to girls. However comparing both the genders’ Key Performance Indicators attitudes towards STEM, we can see that boys and girls both acknowledge the ‘importance for employment’ in these fields of study.
According to Australia’s 2019-20 Youth in STEM survey, parents and teachers were the greatest influence of young peoples’ education and career decisions. From the report 97% of all the teachers who were surveyed agreed that STEM skills were important for the Australian economy however male educators were far more confident in teaching STEM subjects than females. Across all STEM subjects 60% of males felt confident in their teaching abilities compared to 39% of female teachers. The difference between males and females in the classroom could be a factor as to why female students are less confident and less interested than boys to pursue a career in STEM.
The role of parents and their influence on their children’s career ambition is a key factor that may also contribute to girls shying away from Maths and Science. The report found that there was a clear link between parent’s employment and their attitudes towards STEM and their children’s career decision. The percentage of father’s surveyed in the report to have a STEM qualification was 47% which was more than double the mothers surveyed who reported 20% to have a STEM qualification.
All the data points to the need to continue boosting the confidence of female students and perhaps a greater shift to focusing on both teachers and parents attitudes towards STEM as they play a crucial role in a child’s study and career decision.
By Kendra Jewell
