The majority of women with quualifications in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects do not work in STEM areas. This is in marked contrast to men.
The consequence is a serious loss across the whole economy not just in Scotland but through out the UK as well as many other European countries. Indeed employers in key sectors are reporting large impending shortages of people with STEM qualifications.
Scotland must address this issue. To be a smart economy, we need strength in STEM areas. Encouraged by Professor Anne Glover,until recently Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland, the Royal Society of Edinburgh(RSE) established a Working Group, chaired by the eminent astrophysicist, Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnel, to examine this issue.
