Girls should be encouraged to develop their interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, as the UK continues to suffer from a lack of women in these roles. 

Although there is nothing to say that boys should prefer robotics, computing, coding camps, building, chemistry, biology or physics, when it comes to careers, there are more men in these industries than women. 

In fact, UCAS reported that females accounted for less than one-fifth of engineering and computing degrees in 2022. 

This is why Amazon recently offered 30 more female students from low-income households a grant of up to £20,000 so they can do a degree in a STEM subject.

The Amazon Future Engineer Bursary was created together with the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Lynda Mann, head of education programmes at the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “The concepts presented by this year’s awardees vividly demonstrate the inventiveness and artistic abilities found within the underrepresented engineering community of women.”

Since 2021, more than £1 million has been awarded by Amazon to 75 women in the UK, enabling them to study STEM degrees and pursue their dream careers. 

Over the last few years, the situation has remained broadly the same, with the number of female graduates studying core STEM subjects only increasing by one percentage point from 2015 to 2019. 

What’s more, the proportion of women working in STEM roles has only risen from 21 per cent in 2016 to 24 per cent three years later.

However, WISE has predicted that by 2030, this figure could reach 29 per cent, with this likely to be even higher for science professionals, as women took up 46 per cent of the jobs in 2019. 

Indeed, the sectors with greater gender imbalances are computer science, engineering and technology.