A new national survey has revealed that more than half of girls attending single-sex schools in Ireland believe limited subject availability is preventing them from pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM).
The Survey of Female Students’ Attitudes to STEM, conducted by I Wish, a non-profit organisation dedicated to inspiring young women to explore STEM opportunities, gathered responses from 2,335 Transition Year students across the country.
The findings highlight a significant disparity in subject access between school types. Among students in single-sex schools, only 5% reported access to construction studies and 6% to engineering. In contrast, 84% and 74% of students in mixed schools had access to these subjects, respectively.
Overall, 55% of girls in single-sex schools said that restricted subject choice was a major obstacle to studying STEM, compared with 37% of students in mixed environments.
The report warns that these inequalities could have long-term implications for Ireland’s future STEM workforce and urges education policymakers to take action to ensure that every girl has the same opportunities to explore science and technology subjects, regardless of school type.
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