In this BERA Blog Special Issue, guest editors Martina Dickson and Saima Salehjee critically consider ‘girls into STEM’ (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) initiatives, debating and critiquing the deficit assumptions which often underlie them, and showcasing blog posts which consider the need to address structural inequalities that lead to a lack of gender parity in STEM education and workplaces. This Special Issue is international in scope, bringing contributions from Sweden, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates, in addition to the UK, reflecting the universality of the questions it explores.
The contributions to this issue explore:
- whether we are fixing girls or fixing STEM, critically examining ‘girls into STEM’ initiatives and arguing that they often rest on flawed assumptions that girls lack interest, inadvertently causing gender stereotypes to be reinforced
- how preschool children engage through play, shaping perceptions of engineering, including who ‘belongs’ in that world, and how this needs to be woven into the design of initiatives
- ‘girls into STEM’ initiatives in the Irish context, showcasing the ‘Cell Explorers’ programme as a case study to broaden access to science for both girls and boys, in full recognition of the intersectionality of socioeconomics, identity and access to STEM study and careers
- how ‘girls into STEM’ initiatives are insufficient without the required efforts to directly articulate strategies to counteract gender bias and exclusion in STEM workplaces
- alternative approaches to traditional ‘girls into STEM initiatives’ in the Scottish context and the use of storytelling and media to link to students’ everyday lives as a means of fostering joy and openness towards STEM, rather than with any particular ‘STEM career’ slant
- a case study of an initiative that provides opportunities for high school girls to learn more about using artificial intelligence (AI) and its broader community applications, in response to emerging research on AI gender bias
- connecting learning to real-world health issues, effectively supporting gender equity in opportunities for STEM participation.