Addressing the confidence gap to support girls in STEM

This will be a talk to raise awareness of what the confidence gap is, why it exists, and ways to address it which will ultimately help to increase the number of girls in STEM and close the gender pay gap and gender gap within leadership. The aim of my presentation is to: > Raise awareness of the confidence gap - many people aren’t aware of the existence of this gap. > Share with the audience the reasons why the confidence gap exists. > Share practical ways to address the issue that everyone can do. The Confidence Gap refers to women generally feeling less confident in themselves and their abilities than men. Resulting in fewer chances at success, feelings of imposter syndrome, and playing down their achievements. Studies have shown that men are significantly more likely to self-promote than women. This results in higher professional recognition and career progression for men, and is a plausible factor contributing to the gender pay gap and gender gap within leadership. The gap starts to emerge as early as 8 years old and never closes. Up to this age, boys and girls feel equally confident. Between the ages of 8 and 14, girls’ confidence levels fall by 30%. The confidence gap is also a significant factor contributing to the gender disparity within STEM, with a study finding more than half of British girls lacking confidence learning maths, for example. Our research looks into the reasons why this occurs and how we can address the problem. The WISE (Women In Science and Engineering) Young Professionals Board, of which I am a member, ran a campaign on the confidence gap to celebrate International Day of the Girl and have presented the topic at numerous events, always receiving positive feedback on how impactful the topic is. I believe it’s a topic that teachers and educators should be aware of due to their significant engagement with children.