§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what study he has made of the census, why more women are not doing scientific and technical work since August 1990; and what action Her Majesty's Government are taking to convince girls and young women that such opportunities for physicists are open to all, in the light of demographic changes.
§ Mr. EggarThe employers concerned have the prime responsibility for making scientific and technical careers attractive to women. Nevertheless, this Government's education reforms include some relevant initiatives. The science component of the national curriculum will reinforce that aspect of the education of pupils to age 16, both boys and girls. This will help to ensure that pupils will be less likely to have career options prematurely closed to them and will be better placed to make informed choices about whether to follow a career in a scientific discipline.
The Women into Science and Engineering campaign (WISE) fosters equal opportunity links between education and industry and stresses the importance of eliminating and stereotyping in option choice and careers advice. The WISE campaign has continued to be promoted and five WISE buses, sponsored and maintained by industry, and with support from the Government, continue to give careers advice to girls.
For mature students, there are available some access courses which cater exclusively for women; for example, in micro-electronics, engineering, and information and industrial technology.