As an Economics student, I’m used to looking at trends. If you look at the "Women in STEM" data at the moment, the numbers are actually quite exciting; more girls than ever are picking up lab coats, coding manuals, and data sets at university. But even as enrolment rises, the "lived experience" of a 9 am lecture can still feel a bit lopsided. If you’ve ever walked into a seminar and realised you’re one of only a few women in the room, it’s easy to forget that trends are actually rising.
In fact, the "right" to be in these lecture halls is a relatively recent development in the grand scheme of history. For centuries, women were entirely barred from obtaining degrees, often forced to study in the shadows or have their work published under male names. It wasn't until the late 19th century that UK universities even began allowing women to sit exams, and even then, many weren't granted the actual degree they had earned until decades later.
Today, we aren't just a diversity statistic; we are the result of that long fight for a seat at the table. We’ve moved from being legally excluded to being record-breakers in enrolment, yet the transition from "getting in" to "feeling at home" is still a work in progress.
Even with the doors wide open, there is still so much work to do. While women now lead the way in subjects like Medicine and Dentistry (about 59%), we are still significantly outnumbered in areas like Engineering and Technology (roughly 20%).
This creates a strange paradox: we are part of the most inclusive era of education, yet many of us still feel a "minority tax", feeling as though we must work twice as hard to prove we belong in the room. It’s tempting to stay quiet in those massive 200-person modules, especially when the curriculum itself still leans heavily on historical male figures and male gendered examples, “he says this, he does that, etc”.
The reality is that while the doors are open, the path inside is still an uphill climb. STEM scholarships and bursaries targeted at encouraging girls to enter these traditionally male-dominated spaces demonstrate the effort to level the playing field through targeted support. These resources are vital; however, financial aid is only one part of the puzzle. Achieving true gender equality is an ongoing process, rather than a box that can be ticked off and moved on from. It’s about moving beyond surface-level distribution and addressing the exhaustion that comes with students constantly having to "lead the change" themselves.
There is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that being the only woman in the room is a historical footnote rather than a daily experience. This Women's History Month, it's worth acknowledging that while we've secured our seat at the table, making sure everyone feels they truly belong there remains the next big challenge.