Science advice note says girls are steered away from tech early
Experts who met the Government Chief Scientific Adviser say gender stereotypes about technology form in primary school. They list ways teachers and schools can respond.
The Government Office for Science published notes on 13 October 2026 from a roundtable on why fewer girls and women enter technology careers.
The roundtable met on 7 September 2026 and was chaired by Professor Dame Angela McLean, the Government Chief Scientific Adviser. The notes give the combined views of the experts present. They are not a statement of government policy. Those present included Peter Kemp of King's College London and Sue Black of Durham University.
Computing is one subject that will need to evolve to keep pace with a rapidly changing industry, including the development of new and emerging technologies such as AI.
The notes cite research that science ambitions differ by gender from the age of 10. They say girls are particularly underrepresented in A level computer science, physics and mathematics. They also say a relative lack of Ofsted reporting on computing could indicate that schools give the subject less priority. Durham University's TechUP programme has retrained about 800 women since 2018, the notes add.
For teachers, the notes list approaches with some evidence behind them. Girls respond well to group work where they can discuss and compare ideas. The notes say gender equity work across a whole school is effective, rather than work aimed at one subject. A randomised trial in more than 130 schools raised the share of girls choosing physics.
For adults, TechWorks reported that the government's TechFirst Women's Programme launched on the same day. It aims to place 300 women in paid tech jobs by March 2027. Women can register interest at techfirstwomen.com. The government has not said whether it will act on the advice in the notes.