Bahrain succeeds in closing gender gap in technology | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Bahrain succeeds in closing gender gap in technology | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Reported by Zahra Ayaz

Many activities and projects to enhance female involvement in technology are focused on attracting women to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-related qualifications.

As a result, Bahrain boosted success in closing the gender gap. Women comprise 42% of those who enrolled in STEM degrees in the most recent academic year, greatly above the rates in developed nations like the US.

According to the World Bank’s Human Capital Index, the Kingdom is in the top five countries globally for women outperforming men in learning outcomes and drawn more towards technical and vocational education.

Strong performance in secondary school means girls are more willing to consider continuing their studies in STEM subjects at a degree level. Nonetheless, it requires collective efforts from the government and the education sector to capitalise on that willingness by encouraging more girls to enroll in STEM courses.

The figures which show that the proportion of women studying STEM degrees is higher than the proportion working in Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The Kingdom is still trying to get better at translating the pipeline of STEM graduates into the labour force.

Earlier, The Daily Tribune reported that many women see the male-dominated nature of