Report reveals scale of ‘concerning’ gender gap in maths and physics A-levels

The analysis is based on Higher Education Statistics Agency data of UK first-year undergraduate students during the 2020/21 academic year

(PA) (PA Archive)

Around 115,000 more girls would need to study A-levels in maths or physics, or both, to reach equal numbers of male and female students studying engineering and technology degrees, a report has found.

Just 8% of first-year undergraduate women who had studied maths and/or physics at A-level went on to study engineering and technology degrees, compared to 23% of first-year undergraduate men who had studied at least one of the subjects at A-level, an analysis by charity EngineeringUK suggests.

With the current conversion rate from A-level to undergraduate study, around 150,000 girls would need to study A-levels in one or both subjects to reach the same number of women studying engineering and technology as men – which represents an increase of around 115,000 girls, the report suggests.