Technology AI, Science and New Things
In 2015 more than four in ten UK teenagers taking computing GCSEs were girls. That share has since fallen by half to 21 per cent, according to a new report from King’s College, London. The report argues this disparity between boys and girls heightens the risk that men will dominate the shaping of the modern world as computing skills become increasingly important. At least partially to blame is the elimination of the information and communications technology GCSE in 2015. Just before its elimination, the course had 40,000 female pupils alongside 5,000 studying computer science. By 2023, just 18,600 girls took the computer science GCSE – which focuses on theory and coding. Numbers have declined for boys as well, but less steeply. The report advocates for reforms to widen the range of concepts covered by the course in order to increase both diversity and number of applicants.
