Girls miss science and math classes. In response, the professional federations of insurers, banks and digital players sounded the alarm. They suggest, as reported Sustainable infoestablishing an objective of diversity in teaching specialties in the baccalaureate.
On the occasion of the presentation of a white paper on skilled employment, on Wednesday 9 February, the three federations took the floor on this crucial topic for gender balance and diversity in promising future professions, such as digital jobs.
“With the new ferry, the situation has deteriorated significantly”warned the president of France Assureurs, Florence Lustman, who also warned of a risk of “lack of female engineers” with major consequences for the future of humanity: “If there aren’t women doing math and going to work in artificial intelligence, tomorrow’s world (…) won’t integrate women’s vision”fears Florence Lustman.
Especially since women are already underrepresented in these areas at the moment. In the digital sector, for example, only 20 to 25% of jobs are occupied by women.
A problem that persists and worsens
To counter this phenomenon, the three federations advocate: “a general mobilization” on the place of girls in science and computer science. How? ‘Or what? The three entities recommend in their white papers to establish: “rolling out an objective of diversity in secondary school special education from the national level to the academic level”†
The education minister acknowledged the problem and on Sunday, February 6, proposed adding a math class to the common core. For the associations of teachers of this discipline, this is then a “small step”, but it threatens to be just a simple “announcement effect” with no real measure.
The lack of girls in science courses is not recent. Already in 2017, the company Global Contact sounded the alarm with a study showing a worrying evolution (between 2010 and 2015) in the share of young girls and women in scientific and technological training.
Since the secondary school reform in 2019, mathematics is no longer compulsory and no longer in a common core but in the form of a specialty. Due to gender stereotypes, girls abandon this teaching. The issue was raised a few days ago by the Mathematical Society of France. Professionals cannot ignore it either and must promote diversity.