Page 37 - Kaleidoscope Academic Conference Proceedings 2024

12-16), students follow in the first two years Technology, Table 1 – Statistics for UMA engineering and maths
which includes basic programming, digital tools, and bachelors. Percentage of female newcomers: (1) academic
understanding technological systems. In the third and year 2021/2022; (2) academic year 2023/2024
fourth years, Information and Communication Technology
becomes an elective, focusing on more advanced digital skills, Degree (1) (2)
Telecommunication Engineering School
including office software and basic programming.
Telematics 17.1 29.2
Spanish universities offer a range of undergraduate and
Telecommunication Systems 17.1 24.6
postgraduate engineering programs, including degrees in
Electronics for Telecommunication 15.1 13.1
Telecommunication Engineering, Electronics, and Computer
Telecommunication Technologies 25.0 35.8
Science. Other STEM degrees also contribute significantly
Sound and Image 18.6 33.3
by supplying the sector with highly qualified professionals. Telecommunication Technologies + Maths 6.3 45.0
These programs provide a solid theoretical foundation and Industrial Engineering School
practical experience, equipping students to tackle complex Industrial Design and Product Development 55.3 57.0
issues and drive technological innovation. Electrical 19.0 16.7
A study by the European Commission (EC) [13] underscores Industrial Electronics 19.0 10.8
a concerning trend: over the past decade, the percentage of Mechanical 19.8 20.2
the European students pursuing ICT-related fields has been Industrial Electronics + Electrical 21.6 18.8
declining. Specifically in Spain, there is a low percentage of Mechanical + Industrial Design 34.3 45.2
university graduates in STEM degrees [14]: 18.8% compared Industrial Technologies 30.7 27.6
to 25.1% in Europe. Furthermore, the proportion of graduates Electronics, Robotics, and Mechatronics 23.7 27.5
in these fields with respect to the population aged 20 to 29 Energy 35.4 19.1
years was 14.1 per thousand compared to 19 per 1000 in the Industrial Organization 31.2 31.1
EU. Industrial Electrical + Mechanical 11.1 16.7
Computer Engineering School
A survey done to students at the high school ranging 12-18
Computers 8.3 -
years in Spain [16] reported the main reasons that explain
Cibersecurity and Artificial Intelligence - 9.5
the rate of enrollment in Engineering and Architecture: lack
Informatics 17.1 29.5
of orientation and knowledge (65%, from which a 25% who
Software 9.8 15.2
do not know the professional opportunities and a 5% who do
Health 62.0 53.2
not know any engineers) and perceived academic difficulty
Informatics + Math 19.1 23.5
(40%), sometimes due to the negative testimonials from
Science Faculty
students in STEM. Mathematics 48.4 43.9
In [15] the ratio for male and female graduates can be found Chemical Engineering 51.6 52.7
UMA Eng.+Maths 27.5 28.5
for a wide set of countries and study areas. There are almost
twice as many male as female STEM graduates in the EU: 28.7 degrees (Chemical Engineering and Industrial Design) have
males per 1000 male inhabitants aged 20–29 years and 14.8 more women than men, while others (Electronics, Computer
females per 1000 female inhabitants in the same age range. Science) have only around 10% female students. (The number
In relative terms, the gender gap for this field of education of total students is also uneven, ranging from only 20 in
was most marked in Spain, where the ratios between male Telecommunication with Maths to 183 in Informatics.) Most
and female indicators is 2.6. The number of new female of the 1683 students in Table 1 are locals coming from the
students in engineering and architecture in Spain decreased Malaga area. This fact opens an opportunity to improve the
more dramatically (a 33% reduction in 2017 compared to number of female students by focusing on attracting more
2010) than the number of new male students (26%) [16]. girls from the schools in the surroundings.
Situation is not different in the U.S. where just one in four
A report on the situation of women in universities in Spain
tech graduates are women [11]. Interestingly, a paradox in
[18] highlights that most surveyed women (65%) reported
the participation of women in ICT studies has been confirmed
choosing their field of study (mainly education and health)
by several studies [17]: data suggest that the more egalitarian
based on personal affinity or an early vocation, while only
the countries (e.g., Norway or Finland), the lower the female
19% selected their studies based on strong job prospects.
participation in STEM fields. On the other hand, countries
with less advanced equality policies have higher levels of In the same study, 43% of women believe that they are directed
female presence in STEM fields. The primary reason appears towards those fields from an early age, and 39% feel that their
to be that ICTs offer women greater economic autonomy. schooling did not promote vocational diversity equitably. The
At the local level, the data is somewhat more encouraging. influence of background in study and profession selection is,
In the 2023/2024 academic year, the average percentage however, subtle: while 69% of women believe that gender
of newcomers to engineering studies at the University of biases influence university choices, only 27% feel personally
Malaga was above 28% (see Table 1 for a list of the influenced by these biases, with this perception being stronger
offered bachelor studies and the distribution of newcomers in younger age groups. The survey in [16] gave another
per gender in two academic years, 2021/2022 and 2023/2024). interesting result: Girls with female role models in the
However, the distribution is highly varied: two engineering scientific-technological field show a higher rate of interest

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