From A levels to engineering

Date published: 01 February 2023
A person looking into camera as they smile

Overview

Women are the most underrepresented group in engineering and technology, making up just under 17% of the workforce. In fact, gender disparity is seen throughout all educational pathways into engineering.

This report explores how many more girls would need to study mathematics and/or physics at A level to increase the numbers of women studying engineering in higher education to the same level as men. We do this by exploring the conversion rates from A level to engineering and technology degrees for first year undergraduate students by gender, with the aim of estimating the additional numbers needed per year.

From A levels to engineering exploring the gender gap in higher education

Who this is for

  • Professional Engineering Institutions
  • Employers
  • Teachers
  • Careers leads
  • Researchers
  • Policymakers

Key findings

  • 18% of first year undergraduates in engineering and technology are women, compared to 57% across all subjects
  • Engineering and technology is the top HE study subject for students studying both maths and physics at A level
  • 23% of men who studied maths and/or physics went on to become engineering and tech undergraduates, compared to 8% of women
  • 115,000 more girls would need to study maths and/or physics at A level to reach equality in undergraduates