Since March 2012, Siliconrepublic.com has been running Women Invent Tomorrow, a year-long campaign to highlight the importance of closing the gender gap in science and technology, as well as championing and profiling inspirational women as role models in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Now comes the key research element.
The campaign is in no small part thanks to the ongoing support of our partners Intel, Accenture, the Irish Research Council, ESB and CoderDojo – all of whom are equally passionate about this key issue within the ongoing talent challenge.
A crucial element of our initiative is a primary gender gap research project led by Accenture, in collaboration with ourselves and our other partners. Little research is available on the subject in Ireland, so we see this as a golden opportunity to gather some real metrics.
The primary objectives of the research are:
- To understand the factors that influence girls in junior cycle at post-primary level in their attitudes to and selection of STEM subjects.
- To better understand the challenges.
- To identify key trends and emerging influences.
- To assess within the general population any gaps in understanding the opportunities around STEM, and the comfort level of parents in discussing related career options with their teenage children.
The research is being conducted between 16-27 September among a target group of students, parents, teachers and guidance counsellors. If you are in this group, why not have your say? Your thoughts on this important subject would be most welcome. The survey takes just 10 minutes to complete and can be accessed online.
Women Invent Tomorrow is Silicon Republic’s year-long campaign to champion the role of women in science, technology, engineering and maths
Future technology touchscreen interface image via Shutterstock
