Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 28 March 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills

The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed)

Dr. Ruth Freeman:

The honest answer is that I do not know. My sense is that it is reinforcement of things that happen from very early on. Even if we go back to toys, and that may sound very simple, but if we look at toy purchases and reviews of toy purchases, the majority of STEM-based toys are bought for boys. We can see that from the reviews. This is not an issue that exists in isolation in education.