The Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) industry is facing a severe shortage of skills in labour, innovation and entrepreneurship which is set to get worse in the coming decades.

In 2002, 26% of the total UK workforce was employed in SET employment as compared to 32% in the US, 33% in Germany (in 2001), 29% in France and 38% in Sweden. With an increasing dependence on SET products and processes in the modern world, this shortfall can impact UK competitiveness in the global market.

One in three UK SET graduates is a woman, but only 18.5% of them work within the industry, leaving a largely untapped workforce and potential entrepreneurial base.

Critical to this issue is a catalogue of social and cultural factors specific to this sector that have driven many women out of SET at every level from choosing SET subjects at university to mothers  returning to work.

Making up the shortfall of women entrepreneurs in the SET sector will play a vital role in stimulating the economy and advancing the UK’s competitive position internationally.

NEW POLICY PAPER:

Women’s Enterprise and SET

Dr Rebecca Harding, Delta Economics, March 2009

The under-representation of women in science and technology remains one of the key challenges that faces the UK as it seeks to invent and innovate itself out of recession.  Women are still under-represented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).  In 2002, just 18.1% of employees in all STEM professions were female.  By 2007 this figure had barely changed and rested at 18.5% of all STEM employees.  Even though there is evidence that there are differences in women’s participation in STEM by discipline and sector, with some sectors, such as teaching and research and scientific “professionals” having much higher levels of participation than, say, STEM management or Engineering professionals, there is an issue of very high attrition between the stages of engagement with STEM subjects.  And although there has been an increase of 8.4% in the number of girls taking STEM subjects at “A” level since 2004, this compares to an increase of 9.5% amongst boys.  This policy briefing looks at the available data on women in STEM subjects in the light of 30 years of policy to address the gender gap.  It argues that the whole policy area has taken a back seat at a time when it should have been driving innovation policy.  Inadequacies in data are partly to blame for this but until we understand the systemic failings that mean that women are less likely to stay in science careers than men, we will get no nearer to resolving the problem.

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