Limited subject choices continue to restrict girls' access to Stem subjects, survey finds

The Taoiseach Micheál Martin (centre) with students from Mount Sackville Secondary School, from left, Amélie Place; Arsha Bhatia; Rhia Murphy and Charlotte Cosgrove at Government Buildings for the launch of the 2025 I Wish Survey. Photo: Naoise Culhane

Structural barriers continue to shape subject choice for girls as access to the practical and applied Stem subjects remains limited in all-girl schools.

The annual 2025 Survey of Female Students’ Attitudes to Stem  has found that more than half of girls in single-sex schools see limited subject choice as a barrier to pursuing Stem.

(Left to right) Caroline O'Driscoll, I Wish Co-founder, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, and Gillian Keating, I Wish Co-founder at Government Buildings for the launch of the 2025 I Wish Survey. Photo: Naoise Culhane

Carried out by I Wish, the annual survey found access to applied Stem subjects is lower in all-girl schools than in mixed, or all-boy schools.

Among the 2,335 transition-year female students surveyed in single-sex schools, just 5% reported having access to Construction Studies and 6% to Engineering, compared with 84% and 74% respectively in mixed schools.

More than half (55%) of girls in single-sex schools also cited limited subject choice as a barrier to Stem, versus 37% in mixed schools.

This mirrors recent findings from the Department of Education’s 2024 Indicator Report  which found just 71% of girls’ schools offer at least one Stem subject beyond maths or science, compared with 96% of boys’ schools.

The main barriers cited by girls taking part in the survey were a lack of information (64%), confidence (55%), female role models (50%), and subject choice (46%).

The Taoiseach Micheál Martin (centre) with students from Mount Sackville Secondary School, from left, Amélie Place; Arsha Bhatia; Charlotte Cosgrove; and Rhia Murphy at Government Buildings for the launch of the 2025 I Wish Survey. Photo: Naoise Culhane

The survey also found that girls who play sports reported higher confidence in Stem subjects (53% vs 40%) and school life (61% vs 49%).

I Wish co-founder, Gillian Keating said: “We’re seeing real progress as more young women than ever before are pursuing Stem at third level, and that’s something to celebrate.” 

“But this year’s findings make it clear that the pipeline is still too narrow at the start.” 

“Limited subject choices, particularly in single-sex schools, continue to restrict girls’ opportunities. Exposure drives opportunity.” 

After a two-year pilot, I Wish has announced a new partnership with Logitech to scale its primary programme, which helps boost girls’ confidence in Stem from a younger age through alumni talks, industry visits and hands-on experiments.

Participation in the programme grew by 38% in 2025, reaching 265 students.

Confidence

However, confidence remains a concern — just half (49%) of students at primary level said they felt good at maths only sometimes, while 17% were not confident in Stem.

“Early intervention is critical,” said I Wish co-founder Caroline O’Driscoll. “Almost half of the students express a growing anxiety about maths, and that’s a concern.” 

“On a more positive note, 50% of students want more Stem activities in the classroom, with 95% of girls saying they believed that girls can be just as good as boys in Stem. That curiosity and confidence need to be nurtured. 

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“Interestingly, we are also seeing a really strong link between sport and confidence,” she added.

“The data shows a clear difference: girls who play sport are more confident in Stem subjects, school life, and even speaking up in class — often by 10 to 15 percentage points.” 

“Building that connection between sport and Stem helps develop resilience, teamwork and problem-solving skills that open the door to underrepresented Stem fields.”