Half of young women think they wouldn't succeed in STEM, claims survey

Tech City UK says young women 'don't believe they'll succeed in tech'

Nearly half young women believe that they do not have sufficient skills to succeed in STEM careers, according to new research from Tech City UK.

The research quizzed more than 1,000 young people and analysed 80,000 posts on Reddit. It explored young people's perceptions of the technology sector.

In other core findings, 30 per cent of young women said they want to work in technology, but 25 per cent asserted that the sector is "not for people like them".

Meanwhile, technology remains the career of choice for young men, with 36 per cent of respondents picking it as their chosen career path.

Some women, too, feel that men suit STEM more than they do

Creative roles came in at 26 per cent, while 36 per cent said they would like a professional career. These include jobs in areas such as law and medicine.

When it came to choosing technology as their career path, 55 per cent of participants claimed that they are drawn to the "fast moving and exciting" nature of the IT industry.

As well as this, 54 per cent said they find technology "interesting", with another 50 per cent saying that high salaries attract them to the growing sector.

The study also found that most young people see higher education as their only post-school option, with 59 per cent believing that there is a lack of alternative training schemes.

But Tech City UK made it clear that "the perception that tech is a less viable career option for young women must be addressed, and as an employer, this should start with recruitment culture".

To encourage that shift in perceptions, Tech City UK suggested that organisations should use gender-neutral language in job advertisements and publish them in places where everyone can see them.

It recommends that firms be more transparent about issues such as pay, culture and equal opportunities. The organisation said these things could help close the divide.

The perception that tech is a less viable career option for young women must be addressed

Tara O'Sullivan, chief creative officer at Skillsoft, believes that gender gap is a growing problem. She said that women should not feel as though they cannot succeed in the industry.

"It's not only men that have continued to enforce the science, tech, engineering and maths (STEM) gender gap. Some women, too, feel that men suit STEM more than they do," she said.

"This is why there are so many programmes concerned with getting girls into STEM. These on-going drives are trying to eradicate and challenge old fashioned view points held by parents and teachers alike, that girls are less likely to want be involved in STEM career paths - or that they will find it too tough.

She claimed that some organisations need to ensure that they are paying both sexes fairly and reiterated the importance of education. "But STEM companies need to make sure that they are promoting and paying women fairly," explained O'Sullivan.

"Encouraging women to get into STEM ultimately starts with education - from school to the boardroom. In school, coding should be mandatory for everyone; complex problem solving and critical thinking should be part of everyday life."