The Arpa male

Now more than ever, UK science needs to listen to its female voices

Today is the UN’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science. There are now so many international and national ‘days’ that the concept can seem somewhat trite—but the continuing problems facing women in scientific careers cannot be overstated, and the issue deserves our attention on any day.

The statistics continue to offer a depressing picture. According to UCAS figures, the number of women in core science, technology, engineering and maths subjects increased from 22,020 in 2015 to 24,000 in 2018. That may be a linear increase, but because of more rapid growth in the number of men graduating it means that the proportion of female graduates grew from 25 to 26 per cent. Hardly cause for celebration.