The number of women graduating from scientific and technical courses is stagnating in France

In 2021, women represented only 19% of graduates in the digital sector, two points below the European average, a figure that has not changed since 2019.

In detail, the Gender Scan study notes that "the feminization of digital training is improving slightly at the short cycle and bachelor's level, but is stagnating or deteriorating at the engineering training levels."

France had just over 6.000 female graduates in digital technology in 2021, compared to around 4.000 in 2013, representing a 50% increase.

In engineering and industry-related specializations, women represented 24% of graduates in 2021 (compared to 27% in the EU) and the decline is intensifying "for all levels of qualifications".

The report believes that the primary obstacle to the inclusion of women in these sectors is linked to a return of sexist biases which discourage them from these sectors.

More than 40% of the female students surveyed said they had been discouraged by teachers, family, or friends. For more than half of the female digital students, these comments were related to their gender.

"Women are not as good at math" or "we should stop positively discriminating against them to get into engineering studies" are among the phrases heard by female students cited in the study.

Faced with this rise in sexist bias, the report calls for "the mobilization of stakeholders" and reaffirms "the need for national information campaigns" starting in middle school.

The survey was conducted by the research firm Global Contact in partnership with the Conference of Directors of French Engineering Schools (CDEFI).