This week, on International Women’s Day 2022, (8 March), Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD, announced the publication of the “Recommendations on Gender Balance in STEM Education.”

The recommendations were informed by the Department of Education’s Gender Balance in STEM Advisory Group of which Engineers Ireland was a member.

Our institution was represented by Dee Kehoe, our CPD Director.

The recommendations follow on from A Review of Literature to Identify a Set of Effective Interventions for Addressing Gender Balance in STEM in Early Years, Primary and Post-Primary Education Settings , commissioned by the advisory group in 2019 and published in November 2020.

Minister Foley said:

“I am delighted to be able to launch these important recommendations which will help us to achieve a greater gender balance in STEM, on International Women’s Day. It is important for all of us in the education and STEM communities to acknowledge that there is a need to move away from seeking a change in girls’ attitudes, beliefs and behaviours, towards seeking to change structures, policies and broader representation of STEM in society, to ultimately break down the barriers to more balanced participation for all learners.

”The publication of these recommendations today is the culmination of much time and commitment given by our Gender Balance in STEM Advisory Group. The group is made up of representation from across the education and STEM stakeholders, including representation from schools, students, parents, initial teacher education, third level, STEM organisations, personal representatives and the Department of Education.”

To read the recommendations in full, please see this website link at the Department of Education. https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/4bdb9-minister-foley-announces-the-publication-of-recommendations-on-gender-balance-in-stem-education/