Swiss STEM promotion hits a glass ceiling – a systemic approach should allow for more trained specialists

A current study indicates that the promotion of STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in Switzerland was accompanied by a selective increase in the interest in STEM issues. The number of tertiary level students in STEM areas has increased slightly in recent years.(1) However, broader, sustainable success requires an increased coordination and better control of the numerous individual measures that exist today. Specifically, the study recommends the creation of a framework for action throughout Switzerland. A national strategy and a national STEM competence centre should create synergies, coordinate STEM players such as funding agencies, schools and enterprises, and ensure the quality of measures. A further recommendation made in the study is to generally strengthen the interest in scientific research in future. More events, low-threshold extracurricular activities and targeted digital communication are designed to promote an interest in STEM issues and strengthen confidence in science. Susanne Metzger, Professor of Science Didactics at the University of Basel and a co-author of the study, emphasises that "Improved coordination and strategic development of STEM promotion are essential levers when it comes to optimising existing measures. They simultaneously ensure the broadest possible impact."

Why are the numbers of women and girls choosing STEM careers still so low?

The study also stresses the question as to why the number of women and girls expressing an interest in STEM careers is only rising slowly. Targeted catch-up measures such as female role models, mentoring programmes and safe spaces strengthen the sense of belonging and self-confidence of woman and girls in the STEM area, as the study remarkably demonstrates. Full potential is developed through support measures such as the STEM programmes of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, but only through overarching societal structural changes which must also encompass improved sensitisation of men. Strengthened family policy with affordable childcare, flexible parental leave models and new work approaches are necessary to improve the compatibility of career and family for everybody. In addition, it has been demonstrated that gender quotas are an effective instrument. Isabelle Collet, Professor for Educational Sciences at the University of Geneva and also a co-author of the study, adds that "Approaches that are still underused, such as gender budgeting, should, in addition to funding and initiatives, also take gender equality into consideration and also ensure that the proportion of women and girls in STEM careers increases." Schools play a key role in this respect. Gender-sensitive teaching material as well as targeted education and training of teachers and competencies in equality education are essential for effective STEM promotion. The study comes to the clear conclusion that concentrating exclusively on voluntary career choice and individual interest falls short of the mark, as structural barriers, social norms and gender-specific stereotypes influence preferences and decisions at a very early stage, overlaying competencies and academic performance. Overarching societal efforts are necessary if specialists are to be trained in the long term and achieve a sustainable improvement in equal opportunities in STEM careers.

The current situation in Switzerland

Switzerland suffers from an acute shortage of specialists in the so-called STEM area, and this deeply influences both the economy and society.(2) As knowledge, abilities and proficiencies are essential in STEM subjects if challenges such as the digital transformation and environmental crises are to be addressed, it is even more alarming that the proportion of women in these professions continues to be so low, and the choice of courses remains strongly gender-specific.(3) In addition, the proportion of women reduces continually along the educational and career path after the doctorate (the leaky pipeline), leading to an unacceptable loss of specialist potential. International surveys such as PISA indicate that girls fare well in STEM subjects and, as early as primary school, exhibit an enormous interest in these subjects, but structural obstacles such as social norms and firmly anchored gender stereotypes thwart these ambitions, as shown in the study. These factors lead to many girls and women withdrawing unconsciously from these STEM professions. This is a form of self-selection which is strengthened by societal expectations and subtle social mechanisms.

Background to the study

The proportion of women in STEM professions remains low in Switzerland. To counteract this, the Science, Education and Culture Committees (SECC) submitted Postulate 22.3878 on 30 June 2022: Report and strategy on increasing the proportion of women in STEM professions (Bericht und Strategie zur Steigerung des Frauenanteils in MINT-Berufen). The National Council (Nationalrat) adopted it on 29 September 2022 and commissioned the Federal Council to cooperate with the cantons in creating a report on existing measures. Supported by an interdisciplinary monitoring group, the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) coordinated the report. The SERI also commissioned the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences with a scientific study which was conducted from January to October 2024. The study was based on analyses of statistics, both national and international research literature and focus group interviews with players from society, administration and the economy. The aim of the study was to analyse existing reports and statistics on the shortage of specialists in STEM professions, to identify core influencing factors, and to develop specific recommendations for those responsible for education policy and those offering STEM initiatives. This also involved the examination of measures already tested in Switzerland and abroad and their evaluation in each context.

Project Director

Edith Schnapper, Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW)

Authors

• Isabelle Collet, University of Geneva

• Susanne Metzger, University of Basel and the FHNW School of Education in north-western Switzerland

• Lora Naef, University of Geneva

• Theres Paulsen, Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences (a+) and Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT)

• Edith Schnapper, Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW)

• Stefan Vonschallen, FHNW School of Education in north-western Switzerland

For further information, please contact:

• Edith Schnapper, edith.schnapper@satw.ch, 044 226 50 26

• Theres Paulsen, theres.paulsen@scnat.ch, 031 306 93 60
  
  

(1) Swiss Federal Statistical Office, 2024. SCCRE – Swiss Coordination Centre for Research in Education (2023). Swiss Education Report 2023. Aarau. https://www.skbf-csre.ch/fileadmin/files/pdf/bildungsberichte/2023/BiBer_2023_D.pdf / Swiss Federal Statistical Office (2024). STEM disciplines in universities. Education and science. https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/de/28645991.

(2) State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO (2023): "Indicator system to assess the Swiss labour force situation (Indikatorensystem Arbeitskräftesituation – Methodische Grundlagen und Ergebnisse)". Fundamentals for Economic Policy No. 40 (Grundlagen für die Wirtschaftspolitik Nr. 40.) State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, Bern.

(3) KOF Economic Sentiment Indicator, 2020. Proportion of women in STEM subjects: Major differences between cantons – KOF Swiss Economic Institute | ETH Zurich.