About the Project
Despite the advancements made by women in the employment sector and the academic success enjoyed by girls, women continue to be persistently underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM). In Ireland, women represented fewer than 25% of people working in jobs that use STEM skills.
Research on gender and STEM tells us that in order for young women to pursue a career in STEM, they must believe in the important of STEM and believe in their ability to succeed in the field. Research conducted by Microsoft has revealed that most girls become interested in STEM at age 11, but their inherent interest starts to wane by age 15.
Students in post-primary schools designated as disadvantaged (DEIS) are particularly under-represented in STEM in Ireland and are less likely to pursue STEM after post-primary school.
This project aims to develop and strengthen the interest and attitudes of young girls in post-primary schools designated as disadvantaged (DEIS) in STEM.
Project Team
Professor Judith harford
Principal investigator
Judith is Professor of Education, Deputy Head of the School of Education and Vice Principal for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the College of Social Sciences and Law, UCD. She has published nationally and internationally in the areas of history of women's education, gender and educational leadership and teacher education policy. She is series editor for Peter Lang: Oxford (Re-Thinking Education Series) and Emerald Publishing (Teacher Preparation in National and Global Contexts Series). She has served on several committees and working groups of the Irish state Department of Education and Skills and the Teaching Council of Ireland and has acted as an international advisor to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Estonian Research Council. She is a Fellow of both the Royal Historical Society (London) and the Massachusetts Historical Society (USA) and an International Clinical Practice Fellow of the American Association of Teacher Educators. She is the Ireland Canada University Foundation Flaherty Visiting Professor, 2017-18 and a Fulbright Scholar in the Social Sciences, 2018-19. She has held visiting scholar appointments at Boston College and the University of Toronto.
Schools Participating in the Project
Sacred Heart School, Tullamore
St. Paul's Secondary School, Greenhills
Portlaoise College
Tullamore College
Coláiste Íosagáin, Portarlington
Presentation Primary School, Portarlington
Killina Presentation Secondary School, Co. Offaly
St. Colman's NS, Mucklagh
Hartstown Community School, Dublin
St. Tiernan's Community School, Balally
St. Mary's Edenderry
Special thanks to the Project's Partners
