Overview
Improving girls’ participation in engineering and technology pathways is essential to growing and diversifying the UK workforce.
This evidence paper supports our blueprint for action, 40 by 40: Gender equity in engineering and technology education.
The evidence paper sets out current gender disparities across GCSEs, A Levels, vocational qualifications, apprenticeships and higher education. It explores barriers including stereotyping, sexism, lower confidence, lower awareness of engineering careers and lower enjoyment of STEM subjects.
It also identifies policy levers that could support change. These include whole-school approaches to gender equity, curriculum reform, better careers education, inclusive enrichment, stronger teacher training and more robust evidence on interventions.
The paper highlights the need for coordinated action across government, schools, colleges, employers and outreach organisations. With these changes in place, more girls and young women can see engineering and technology as relevant, accessible and rewarding pathways.
Key findings
- girls remain under-represented across most engineering and technology education pathways
- 22.8% of Computing GCSE entries were by girls in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2026
- 24.1% of Physics A Level entries were by girls in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2025
- 19% of Computer Science A Level entries were female in England, Northern Ireland and Wales in 2025
- 13% of engineering and technology-related T Level students were female in England in 2025
- 10.5% of 2024/25 apprenticeship starters aged up to 24 were young women
- women made up 20.4% of engineering and technology undergraduate entrants in 2023/24
- girls report lower enjoyment of several STEM subjects and lower awareness of engineering careers than boys
- whole-school approaches to gender equity show promising evidence for increasing girls’ participation in physics
Key insights
The evidence shows that gender inequity in engineering and technology pathways starts early and continues across academic, technical and vocational routes.
Under-representation of girls is not explained by attainment: girls often perform strongly in relevant subjects. However, they are less likely to choose engineering and technology pathways. This is due to stereotypes, lower confidence, lower awareness of careers and less positive experiences of STEM learning.
Isolated interventions are unlikely to be enough. More coordinated action is needed across the education system, including whole-school gender equity approaches, inclusive curriculum and pedagogy, high-quality careers education, practical and engaging STEM enrichment, and better evaluation of what works.
Who this is for
- Policymakers
- MPs
- Employers
- Researchers
- PEIs
- STEM outreach organisations
- Careers leads
- Teachers
40 by 40
Increase the number of young women on engineering and tech pathways to at least 40% by 2040
This paper focuses on solutions within the education system as the starting point for gender equity. It's a blueprint for action by government to address barriers that limit girls' and young women's access to engineering and technology careers.
Improving women’s participation in the engineering and technology workforce is vital for the health of the UK’s engineering and technology sector, and consequently, the UK economy
