Girls are missing out on high-paying graduate jobs requiring specialist maths because fewer are choosing the subject in high school, a peak industry body says.
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New data shows girls account for about one-third of physics and specialist mathematics enrolments in Queensland schools despite years of effort to lift participation.
Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute director Tim Marchant said a recent "dramatic decline" nationally of boys and girls in specialist maths in 2020 — to 9.2 per cent – is expected to be extended in figures still being compiled for 2021.
"Things are getting worse, not better," he said.
Mr Marchant said the overall shortage of mathematical science graduates meant roles in the "booming" industry were starting at six figures.
"Those shortages mean higher salaries for a graduate, so the starting salaries for maths graduates now range between $100,000 to $200,000 in their first year, which is really, really high," he said.
Of Queensland Year 12 students, girls represented between 29 and 31 per cent of physics enrolments, and 36 to 37 per cent of specialist maths students between 2021 and 2023, data from the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority shows.
Females accounted for 14 per cent of Year 12 engineering enrolments this year, increasing from 10 per cent in 2021.
Compared with higher-level mathematics, girls' participation in general mathematics and mathematical methods is better, with enrolments at 55 per cent and 47 per cent respectively in 2023.
And, more female students than boys have studied biology and chemistry in the past three years, reaching 66 per cent and 52 per cent respectively this year.
A Queensland education department spokesperson said Queensland Year 12 enrolments in science and mathematics subjects were either consistent or had increased by up to 2.8 percentage points from 2015 to 2019.
"The department will continue working with state schools to emphasise the importance of STEM education and increase engagement in these vital subject areas now and into the future," a department spokesperson said.
The national issue is reflected in the tertiary sector and jobs market with women representing 36 per cent of university STEM enrolments and 27 per cent of the workforce — a one percentage point drop from 2020, according to the 2022 STEM Equity Monitor.
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