This report by charity, Engineering UK, reveals that around 115,000 more girls would need to study A-levels in maths or physics, or both, to reach equal numbers of male and female students studying engineering and technology degrees.
With the current conversion rate from A Level to undergraduate study, around 150,000 girls would need to study A levels in maths or physics (or both), in order to reach the same number of male undergraduates.
The report reveals that 23% of male students who studied A levels in maths or physics, or both, went on to study engineering and technology in higher education. However, just 8% of female students who took the same subject(s) went on to study engineering and technology degrees.
This translates to a stark gender divide, with only 18% of those studying undergraduate degrees in engineering and technology being female, compared to 57% for all degree subjects combined.
The report, which is based on Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data, reveals that of the first-year undergraduates in engineering and technology who had studied both maths and physics at A level, only 22% were female students. However, when looking at these subjects separately, the figures jump to 50% of female students having taken maths only and 31% physics only.