Why Rising Girls’ Participation In STEM Signals A Turning Point For Education And Innovation

Robyn Gouws, Coding and Robotics teacher at Reddam House Waterfall

Some arrive with confidence. Many arrive with curiosity. All of them benefit from environments where experimentation is encouraged, failure is normalised and innovation is a shared experience.

From the outside, it may seem like a small shift. But the implications for the next decade of Stem are enormous. The increase in girls’ participation is not simply a matter of representation. It is a signal that schools are beginning to unlock previously overlooked talent – the kind of talent that will shape South Africa’s ability to participate in the global knowledge economy.

Unesco’s Science Report (2021) shows that while women make up 35% of Stem students globally, their participation drops sharply in fields such as engineering, computing and AI research. This is not due to a lack of ability or interest. It is a pipeline problem that begins early. Schools have the power to change that trajectory.

A global movement with South African leadership

The rise of women in technology is a global trend, but African women are playing an increasingly visible role. Pelonomi Moiloa, CEO of Lelapa AI, has become a globally recognised figure for her work in developing natural-language AI tools for African languages. When a South African woman appears in Time’s “100 Most Influential People in AI” (2023), it changes what young girls believe is possible.

The same is true of Tinyiko Simbine, co-founder of GirlCode. The organisation has trained thousands of South African girls in coding and digital literacy and has set an ambitious target of reaching 10 million young women across Africa by 2030. Initiatives like these are not simply creating opportunities – they are changing the narrative.

Representation matters because it disrupts outdated assumptions about gender and ability. Unicef’s Gender and Stem brief (2024) highlights that girls’ interest in science and technology is high in early primary years but often declines during adolescence. The reasons are rarely academic. They are cultural. When girls see technology as a space where they belong, their confidence persists.

Why robotics is an ideal entry point

Robotics is one of the most effective gateways for girls to enter Stem because it blends logic with creativity and problem-solving with experimentation. It offers immediate feedback. A robot either moves or it does not. Sensors either detect an obstacle or they do not. There is no need for perfection; only curiosity and persistence.

In my own classroom, I see girls thrive in these conditions. When a line of code fails, they diagnose the error, discuss possibilities with their peers and try again. Robotics teaches that improvement is iterative. Cracking the Code report (2017) confirms that inquiry-based, hands-on Stem learning significantly improves girls’ engagement and persistence.

It also reshapes how they view themselves. A girl who successfully builds and programmes a robot begins to see her capability differently. She realises that complexity is something she can navigate. That confidence extends far beyond one subject.

The role of educators in shaping Stem identity

Increasing girls’ participation in Stem is not about offering more courses. It is about changing classroom culture. The Education at a Glance (2024) reports that classroom climate – how students feel about their capability, their belonging and their relationships with teachers – is one of the strongest predictors of long-term persistence in challenging subjects.

For teachers, this means:

• encouraging girls to take technical roles during group work,
• normalising female leadership in Stem tasks,
• highlighting contributions from women across scientific fields, and
• creating an environment where questions and experimentation are valued.

Small shifts make a big difference. When girls are not limited to note-taking or “support roles”, but are invited to lead design, debugging or strategy, they develop a sense of ownership. Confidence grows when capability is recognised without surprise.

Mentorship as a catalyst for long-term change

Research consistently shows that mentorship strengthens girls’ persistence in Stem (Unesco, 2023). When learners meet women working in technology – engineers, data scientists, robotics specialists or university students – they gain access to stories that mirror their own future possibilities.

Schools can amplify this effect by creating opportunities for girls to present their robotics projects to industry mentors, participate in competitions judged by women in Stem, connect with alumni who pursued technical careers, and receive feedback from female engineering students.

These interactions make Stem careers tangible rather than abstract. For many girls, it is not content that makes the difference, but the belief that someone like them can succeed.

Why inclusion is a strategic necessity for South Africa

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report (2023) projects strong growth in data science, AI, engineering and technology design roles globally. These fields demand diverse perspectives and ethical reasoning, especially when developing systems that will influence millions of people.

If South Africa wants to remain competitive, it must widen the pipeline. Excluding girls – even unintentionally – shrinks the pool of future innovators, entrepreneurs and researchers. Including them unlocks talent that strengthens both education and the economy.

For schools, the responsibility is clear. Girls need environments where they can test ideas, take risks, make mistakes and see themselves as problem-solvers.

A future shaped by belief and opportunity

Girls in Stem are not a trend. They are a signal of a deeper shift towards inclusive innovation. When girls feel supported and capable, they engage more deeply, persist longer and aspire confidently towards fields once closed to them.

The next generation of engineers, coders and creators is already in our classrooms. To steer the future, we must make sure they are seen, supported and welcomed into the work of building it.