Girls: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

Viscount Stansgate Excerpts

Thursday 18th December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

First, we have to acknowledge that there is an issue, and the statistics are stark. Of course, maths is compulsory, as has been said. Following on into A-levels and beyond GCSEs, only 37% of girls take maths and only 27% take further maths. They are absolutely stepping stones to so many different careers. We have set up maths hubs, working with 85% of primary and secondary schools. It is about that emphasis on primary and getting across the point of maths, which I have to say when I was young often escaped me. It is about getting in there, making it inspiring, encouraging young people and explaining the opportunities it will open when they pursue those subjects.

[Viscount Stansgate (Lab)]

My Lords, in respect of my noble friend’s Question, men outnumber women by four to one in computer science degrees. It has also been said that the economy loses between £2 billion and £3 billion a year because women leave the tech sector or change jobs due to barriers that should not exist. Is that not exactly the type of thing the Women in Tech Taskforce is being set up to tackle?

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I shall be honest: I have three girls, and they found their computing courses absolutely boring, and yet it should be one of the most inspiring subjects they can learn, so my noble friend is right. We are investing in this area and funding the National Centre for Computing Education’s I Belong programme, which is targeting this. It is a hugely important issue and is probably getting even more so as we go forward.