Although much has been done over the last few years to encourage girls to study science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects, they are still more popular among boys. 

In fact, females and non-binary graduates account for just over a quarter (27 per cent) of those who have completed STEM for higher education. This shows the huge discrepancy between the number of men and women taking these subjects.

Despite both boys and girls being encouraged by their schools to pursue careers in STEM, a lot of females lack the confidence to do so. 

A recent report found that more than half of girls quit STEM because they do not think they would be good at it (57 per cent), compared with just 38 per cent of boys. 

Zach Hrynowski, senior education researcher at management consultancy Gallup, which published the survey, said this could be down to the “irrational confidence young men have in things they’ve never done before”. 

However, he also noted that female students are more likely to say these careers are “not accepting of people like me”, revealing that they perceive there is a stigma towards women in STEM industries. 

This divide is already evident in school, with 54 per cent of Gen Z boys and men saying they learn coding and computer programming in school, as opposed to just 39 per cent of girls and young men. 

Parents and schools can make STEM much more accessible for this gender, however, through after school coding clubs, summer holiday camps, and minecraft classes, which they are likely to be interested in. 

They could also do more out-of-school science activities, get more involved as a family, and engage in participatory events to boost an interest in STEM as they get older.