Women in STEM Statistics

*This post has now been updated. View the updated article here.

For years women have been underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) university courses and occupations.  Using UCAS data from HESA and findings from WISE campaigns, we wanted to take a closer look at some women in STEM statistics.

We have highlighted the imbalances that occur across STEM subjects at undergraduate level. We have also addressed the gender splits that prevail across the UK workforce within STEM related professions. This article has been updated to include an insight into how the pandemic is affecting female STEM students, a subject that is explored in greater depth in our STEM Women Whitepaper.

At STEM Women we specialise in addressing the gender imbalance in STEM fields by hosting face-to-face and virtual networking events and careers fairs for STEM employers and female students studying a course in these subjects.

Women in STEM Statistics – General Outlook for Female Students

According the recent UCAS data provided by HESA, 35% of STEM students in higher education in the UK are women.

Core STEM subjects – Female students

2017/18
Number of female students – 112,720 – 35%

Subject breakdown – Female students 

Physical sciences

Female – 22,400 – 39%
Male – 34,800 – 61%
Total – 57,240

Between 2017 and 2018, 39% of students studying physical sciences were female.

Mathematic sciences

Female – 14,100 – 37%
Male – 24,335 – 63%
Total – 38,465

In the same period, the percentage of female students studying mathematical sciences was just 37%.

Computer sciences

Female – 4,525 – 19%
Male – 19,550 – 81%
Total – 24,090

When we looked at the UCAS data for students studying computer sciences related degrees, only 19% were female, with a staggering 81% of students being male.

Engineering and technology

Female – 23,650 – 19%
Male – 102,970 – 81%
Total – 126,660

Similarly, the percentage of female students studying engineering and technology degrees made up a mere 19% of the total students between 2017 and 2018.

Women in STEM Statistics – General Outlook for Female Graduates

Since 2015, the number of women in STEM (women graduating in core STEM subjects) has grown from 22,020 to 24,705 in 2019. On the surface this would appear to show a linear increase, however, due to the more rapid growth in the number of men graduating in these subject areas, the percentage of women in STEM has fluctuated from 25%, down to 24%, and finally up to 26% where it has stalled in 2019.

General Outlook for Female STEM Workforce

Following our findings from UCAS data provided by HESA, we took a look at some of the Women in STEM statistics from the 2018 and 2019 workforce WISE campaigns. The organisation uses the Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey data for generating statistics on women in the UK STEM workforce.

Overall, WISE found that the STEM sector is continuing to grow at a rapid rate. From 2017, core STEM employment had increased by 6.3%, which equates to more than 6 times that of the total rise in the UK’s overall employment rate. In 2019, the government data showed that there are now one million women working in core STEM occupations!

Women in STEM workforce

2016 – 802,848 – 21%
2017 – 864,278 – 23%
2018 – 908,318 – 22%
2019 – 1,019,400 – 24%

Since 2016, the number of women working in STEM fields has increased by 216,552, which has taken the total number over the 1 million mark for the first time ever! This means women now make up 24% of the STEM workforce in the UK.

Using the data trends from the last ten years, 2009-2019, WISE have estimated that by 2030, they expect to reach over 29% of women in the STEM workforce.

Subject breakdown – STEM workforce

Engineering professionals

2016 – 36,734 – 8%
2017 – 48,449 – 11%
2018 – 49,250 – 10%
2019 – 50,475 – 10%

In the last decade, the number of women working in engineering roles has almost doubled from 25,000 to just over 50,000. This is positive data; however, the overall percentage split is still very low and has remained static for the past two years even though the numbers have increased.

Science professionals

2016 – 64,563 – 41%
2017 – 57,372 – 42%
2018 – 58,725 – 42%
2019 – 62,675 – 46%

Women in STEM statistics for science professionals continue to show positive results for a growing gender diversity in these roles. Women now make up 46% of the total science professional workforce.

Science and Engineering technicians

2016 – 75,129 – 27%
2017 – 97,064 – 27%
2018 –87,150 – 26%
2019 – 83,525 – 25%

Between 2017 and 2018, roughly the equivalent numbers of men and women left the science and engineering technician workforce. This explains why the percentage of female workers has remained constant at 27%, but fewer women were actually employed in these roles.

In the last year, the numbers of female science and engineering technicians have dropped.

IT Professionals

2016 – 183,149 – 18%
2017 – 172,411 – 17%
2018 – 181,575 – 17%
2019 – 180,600 – 16%

Although the medium-term trend shows female numbers increasing in IT professional roles in 2017, the numbers of men working in these roles are increasing at a faster rate, jumping by 60,000 in the past year. This means the female proportion of the IT professional workforce was still only at 16% in 2019.

IT Technicians

2016 – 43,087 – 19%
2017 – 46,523 – 19%
2018 – 53,600 – 21%
2019 – 53,400 – 21%

When looking at the number of women working as IT Technicians, the figures have increased from 2016 – 2019. However, because the number of men working as IT Technicians has increased at a rapid rate, the overall percentage of women working as IT Technicians remained static between 2016 and 2017, increased slightly in 2018, but has remained static again.