Only one of the UK’s top 25 universities, King’s College, London reported more than 30% female representation in its Computer Science faculty. At Birmingham and Southampton, women made up less than 10% of the academic staff while Oxford University, the UK’s top university, had just 10% female representation.
How many more times do we have to report that female role models that inspire girls to pursue STEM fields, including Computer Sciences, are lacking and that fewer women, under 20 per cent in fact, make up the tech workforce In the UK?
Hiring processes certainly need to be more inclusive, mitigate unconscious bias and ensure candidates are assessed fairly and equally. But is there something more missing here? While we need more women to enter the sector, we also need more men.
This report focuses on academia at University but the problem starts at school and it’s here that not just girls, but boys too, are turning away from the sector. We talk about female role models but boys aren’t that interested either.
Men and women are equally capable of any job and there’s no place for outdated or sexist attitudes. So while ability is no longer an issue, perhaps the perception of engineering as a desirable career is?
