Over two-thirds of Young Women Experiencing Confidence Crisis with STEM

While 70% of female students show strong interest in STEM, nearly half doubt their own abilities and over a third fear skepticism from others

A new report by Walbrook Institute London (formerly LIBF) reveals that over two thirds (72%) of young women in the UK still don’t feel like they have enough knowledge to study a degree in computer science or IT – with a mere 28% believing that they do. While this trend has continued for decades and despite countless reports, programmes, and mentoring – not much seems to have changed.

The findings from 1,000 girls and young women reveals that at the heart of the issue is an ongoing confidence crisis, with:

• Half (50%) fear being “over challenged” in STEM fields
• 42% think that the subjects will be “too difficult” for them
• 38% don’t feel that other people believe in their capabilities
• 61% say they are worried about the potential demanding workload associated with STEM courses
• 43% reported concerns that the teaching sessions and workload associated with STEM subjects would mean they couldn’t take on a part-time job to fund their studies.

What makes these findings so damning is that 70% of the same young women express personal interest in STEM courses, and 85% value the long-term career success they can bring.

Dr. Glory Aigbedion, Lecturer at Walbrook Institute London, comments,

“The question isn’t whether there is a problem with STEM education’s appeal to young women – we’ve known for years that there is one. The question is what will it actually take to finally fix it?

“Schools, colleges, institutes and universities can offer all sorts of STEM courses, but that won’t help overcome a lack of confidence in young women. We need teachers, mentors, family and friends to be creating early STEM awareness programmes and talking more openly about the benefits it can bring and breaking these very obvious barriers down. The data shows that the majority are interested in the topics, they just need to know that these courses and careers can work for them.

“In addition to confidence in STEM being low, the research also found that other blockers are uninspiring teaching (51% describe their STEM classes as “boring and unappealing”) and financial barriers, with 43% saying that STEM paths are too expensive, and young women often need to pick up a part time job to support funding.”

Steve Hill, CEO and Vice-Chancellor at Walbrook Institute London adds,

“According to The World Economic Forum, by 2030, employers expect 39% of key skills to completely change, with technological skills growing faster than any other category.

“Now is the time to prepare students for careers that will require constant reinvention, and STEM is at the heart of this. It is up to higher education institutions like ours to find interesting and inspiring ways to educate young women and give them the confidence they need to tackle these exciting courses, as well as offering affordable programmes that can fit around work.

“By bridging this gap now and addressing the confidence issue we can inspire a new generation of young women and build the workforce of tomorrow.”

The full report is available at: Barriers to STEM for Young Women – A Study | Walbrook Institute London