Ben Howlett, the MP for Bath, recently secured a debate in Parliament on increasing diversity in STEM, having worked in conjunction with the House of Commons to host a digital debate on Twitter using #WomenInSTEM.
The digital debate was a huge success, and trended in the UK.
Following the success of the debate Ben said: “I really enjoyed getting to interact with a huge variety of people all sharing ideas on how we can make STEM more inclusive to women.
“There were some excellent points made, many of which fed into my speech in Parliament.
“What was clear throughout was that everyone agreed women could strive within STEM and that more needs to be done to remove the stereotype that it is a career for men.”
The debate took place in Westminster Hall and saw agreement from all political parties that more needs to be done to increase the number of females, BAME individuals and disabled people working within the STEM sector.
The full text of the debate, including Ben’s remarks, can be found here.
After the debate, Ben commented: “There is still a misconception from young girls that STEM careers are not open to them and I feel many of these feelings derive from the gendered stereotypes that children are shown from a young age.
“When only 4% of adverts for children’s toy vehicles feature girls, it is clear that there are set gendered roles surrounding children.
“MPs from all political parties agreed that to make a difference in the take up of STEM careers, gender stereotypes from a young age needs to be addressed.
“It was also agreed that more female mentors and role models from within the STEM sector could help young girls see what a future career in STEM could hold for them.
“I want to encourage schools in Bath and across the UK to work together with local STEM companies to show what STEM careers are like and that they are open to anyone, no matter who they are or what background they have.”
1 Comment
Designability
Monday 25th January, 2016 at 11:09We think it’s fantastic that Ben led such an important debate surrounding diversity in STEM careers.
Our team here at Designability in Bath would be happy to show local young people why a career in design, technology and engineering is worthwhile! http://www.designability.org.uk/about-us/education/