Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

STEAM Subjects: Gender-balanced Representation

Wednesday 26 May 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government committed to increasing opportunities for women in science and technology
  • Skills bootcamps have seen 47% female attendees among 2,799 participants
  • Courses on women in data and software were oversubscribed by four times

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Stuart Anderson Con South Shropshire
Education Women & Equalities
Context

Currently, only one in five technology workers are women. The government has initiated skills bootcamps with the aim of increasing female participation.

Question

What steps is she taking with the Secretary of State for Education on increasing gender-balanced representation in take up of STEAM subjects? Currently, only 20% of tech workforce consists of women. Skills bootcamps have seen 47% female attendees among 2,799 participants, indicating progress.

Answer from Vicky Ford

The Government are committed to increasing opportunities for women in science and technology. Skills bootcamps have seen 47% female attendees among 2,799 participants. The courses on women in data and software were oversubscribed by four times. Another £43 million is being invested to provide an additional 16,000 places.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The response does not specify concrete steps beyond the existing initiatives and investment.

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Q2 Stuart Anderson Con South Shropshire
NHS Science & Technology
Context

STEM subjects have been crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic recovery. The question focuses on promoting careers in these fields, particularly stem cell research for women.

Question

Science, technology and biomedicine have been at the forefront of our response to the covid-19 crisis and they will help us on our road to recovery. What steps is my hon. Friend taking to ensure that we get more people into those careers, including stem cell research for women?

Answer from Vicky Ford

My hon. Friend is right: bioscience has been crucial during the pandemic, with chemists, biochemists, and biologists leading our way out of covid. We work through science learning partnerships to increase take-up of triple science at GCSE—chemistry, physics, and biology—to ensure more young people can become future scientists.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The response does not address stem cell research specifically for women or provide concrete steps beyond general initiatives.

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