Dr. Katriona O'Sullivan:

I thank the committee for inviting me to submit my response to the recommendations. I have chosen to focus on female equality issues only and participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM, as these are the ones which have the most impact in terms of participation in modern society.

Recommendation 26 talks about resourcing schools to ensure equality. There are some easy changes in schooling that can be made to ensure gender equality. All science subjects should be on offer in all schools. Women are under-represented in the emerging workforce because we are socialised and educated out of these jobs. By the age of 11, many girls have already decided science and STEM are not for them. We must make whole education changes to ensure young women see their potential in all areas. Science and technology subjects should be mandatory for all students in the same way that mathematics, English and languages are. This would reduce gender disparities in participation. Recent research shows that while 92% of all boys' schools have physics, chemistry and biology on the leaving certificate timetable, while only 77% of girls' schools do. In co-educational schools, it is even lower, at 62%. I recently interviewed a group of girls from a delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, school in the inner city which was moving to co-educational status. They noted that this was the first time ever they were being offered woodwork and engineering. They were really angry about this. They knew this was only because they boys were joining the school. Science for all is not only about jobs for all. It is about ensuring everyone can engage in modern society critically. When we fail to offer all sciences to all students, we fail to prepare students for modern life, the consequences of which can be seen in fear of modern developments, such as vaccines and artificial Intelligence, AI, technologies.

I would also urge the committee to consider the intersection between gender and class. Not all girls are the same. Not all schools have the same resources. DEIS schools need added support to ensure working-class girls can access all courses, capabilities and careers. I would ask the question, why are no all-girl schools piloting the new computer science programme for schools? What are the governing structures in place to ensure equity of resources across all schools? When we consider resourcing of education, we must consider the impact of gender, race, class, and ability on participation and must ensure all girls are served by education. Recommendations 26 and 27, in my view, are related. Career guidance and curriculum reform should consider what we communicate to young women about women. My research shows that young women often cannot name a female scientist from history - apart from Marie Curie - or a female leader in finance or science. With young girls' aspirations being guided by what they see in society and learn in school, we need to sense-check the curriculum content to ensure it celebrates excellent women.

If the media only speak about women in terms of their husbands or their looks, then how can we be different? Sense-checking the media would help. Career guidance is not just about the teachers in school; it is what we show young women. If girls do not relate to women in all roles, they will not try to be them.

As regards recommendation 30, a systems and strategic approach is needed to strengthen existing programmes. We have best practice examples of gender equality activities occurring across education, employment, and society. From mentoring to the Athena Swan programme, coding and computer science courses, we have excellent programmes making changes. The problem is these programmes often work in silos and compete for funding. We need to join up the system. We need to spend time identifying and evaluating programmes that support gender equality, and then scale them.

I have been funded by the Science Foundation Ireland, SFI, Discover programme to deliver the STEM passport for inclusion programme. This plugs some of the gaps in the system. It offers senior cycle girls across Ireland three key STEM resources, namely, a STEM university qualification while they are still in secondary school, a STEM mentor and STEM career guidance. Instead of working alone, we partnered with Munster Technological University, Microsoft Ireland, Teen-Turn, Accenture, RDI Hub, Dogpatch Labs and others to build a systems approach to empowering young women to see STEM as a future for them.

What I am doing is not unique. There are thousands of programmes worldwide doing some of this work. What we are doing that is different is inviting others to join us to change the system. We are inviting every university and school across Ireland to work together to build a STEM pathway for girls to get them into STEM careers and courses. What we are doing is working. Munster Technological University is awarding the STEM passport girls 50 bonus leaving certificate points which they can use towards STEM courses. Some 125 women from various companies have acted as mentors. They have been trained on how to mentor for equality. With 4,000 applicants for only 1,000 places, we see that 78% of these girls are now interested in studying and working in STEM. The STEM programme has been included as a recommendation for the national pilot in the recent gender balance in STEM education programme. What we need is joined-up thinking, systemic change and a systemic approach.

Like all other good programmes, we face challenges in trying to implement this nationally. In the context of girls in STEM courses or careers, universities are often scared to develop gender-only programmes. The conservative nature of the education system stops reform happening at the pace of societal change. I am not sure whether I should say this, but it is my view that while our leadership is primarily made up of males, we will never be able to change the dial and ensure all women are educated, employed and empowered equally. Finally, now is the time to make the changes. Women have never been more at risk of being left out of the emerging world. Covid-19 has shown that women, especially those in service roles, are at risk of entrenched poverty if we do not ensure they are prepared to participate in the technological revolution. Being STEM-prepared is no longer a workforce issue. We need to be STEM ready so we can stay connected, get educated and be part of the changing solutions for the world.