Ms Beth O'Reilly:

Participation is definitely increasing. We have seen a huge amount of work in local colleges with women in STEM societies promoting women's involvement in STEM courses. They engage in inter-varsity events that promote the more social aspect of being a woman in STEM because that can be one of the most isolating parts. College is a very social time. Being the only woman on a course is very isolating.

For us to really encourage women to enter into STEM courses and degrees, what we need to be doing is highlighting the women currently in those STEM courses and the women who are teaching those courses. It is so clichéd but if you cannot see it, you cannot be it. In science and technology, we have been historically shown the achievements of men much more prominently than we have been shown those of women.