Only 1% of ESO students consider studying ICT due to lack of female references and academic guidance

Nov. 5 (Portaltic/EP) –

Careers related to technology are still not among the preferences of female students, since only 1 percent of Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO) students are interested in studying a degree in the field of new technologies (ICT)which is due to the lack of female references in many of these professions and of academic and professional guidance, among other causes.

ASTI Talent&Tech Foundation has reached this conclusion after an analysis that has been published under the title ‘I Women and STEM Observatory: what do young Spanish women think?’, in which the relationship of female students with subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

To carry out this study, a total of 891 questionnaires were carried out on students from 3rd year of ESO to university in different Spanish provinces and its objective is to qualitatively understand the perceptions, evaluations and beliefs they present about STEM subjects and how they evolve throughout their educational itinerary.

Likewise, the study is part of the ASTI Foundation’s commitment to understand the causes of the low presence of women in STEM competitions and to increase the development of talent in this field. This is possible by knowing all the variables of the problem and creating programs to solve it, such as their STEM Talent Girl or FP Steam training.

To develop it, the ASTI Foundation has used what has been called ‘STEM identity’, which is divided into five dimensions: academic performance in STEM areas, family expectations about STEM, affection for mathematics and sciences, the STEM learning experience, and STEM academic and career guidance.

Firstly, the foundation points out that there is an evident disaffection on the part of female students towards these races and, more specifically, towards engineering and technology degrees, which today present higher employability rates and better remuneration.

In this sense, they have determined that only 1 percent of ESO students are interested in studying a degree in the field of new technologies (ICT); a percentage that increases up to 3 percent in the case of high school students.

Regarding engineering, only 5 percent of ESO girls intend to study it, compared to 3 percent of those interviewed in Baccalaureate. Instead, they prefer Health Sciences careers, such as Biology or Chemistry, which, within STEM, are the most attractive for girls: 30 percent of them intend to choose them in ESO and 36.8 percent cent, in Baccalaureate.

In this sense, the report points out that disaffection towards technology is increasing as students advance in their educational itinerary. In this way, in the 4th year of ESO, 32 percent of the students opt for the subject of Technology and Digitalization, while In the 1st year of Baccalaureate, only 14 percent take the Technology and Engineering subject.

On the other hand, the subjects of Physics and Chemistry and Biology are more attractive both for ESO students – 98 and 91 percent, respectively – and for Baccalaureate students (80 and 70 percent respectively). Mathematics, on the other hand, is not particularly popular among female students. This is expressed by 86 percent of the ESO students and 88 percent of the Baccalaureate students. In fact, a high percentage of them (70 percent in ESO and 73 percent in Baccalaureate) express high concern about its difficulty.

Likewise, this matter reports some degree of anxiety regarding mathematics, More specifically, 82 percent in the case of ESO students and 84 percent in the case of young women who are in the Baccalaureate stage.

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In addition to the students’ interest in STEM subjects, another of the values ​​that have been taken into account when carrying out the study is the context and family expectations of the potential students of these careers and it has been determined that they are a minority. students who have a father or mother who is dedicated to one of these professions: 67.5 percent of the students do not have one.

Likewise, 38 percent of ESO and Baccalaureate students have indicated that none of their parents would like them to study a STEM degree, although There is a high percentage of students whose fathers, mothers or both have positive expectations towards a future STEM profession by their daughters.

In this way, 60 percent of ESO students say that their parents agree with this choice, a figure that rises to 65 percent for those students who are studying Baccalaureate.

Together with the support of their family, the students seek to find the motivation to study STEM careers in the methodology of the teachers, given that 86 percent of Secondary and Baccalaureate students indicate that that is the most relevant variable in your experience of learning. Furthermore, they also want their teachers to motivate them to do so (85.55%).

Despite these figures, the study shows that there is still a gender gap in STEM skills, something that, in the opinion of the students asked, is due to the lack of female role models in many professions (56.73% believe this). ), academic and professional guidance in their educational centers (80.27%) or information about STEM careers in schools (70.47%).

Other reasons collected in the analysis point to poor teaching in the field of mathematics, the difficulty and effort that STEM careers or lack of knowledge about the business world.