Disadvantaged parents rule out careers in science, technology, engineering and maths for their children because they think those jobs are “already stitched up”, according to a leading education charity.
More than half of parents (51%) from a lower socioeconomic background, who took part in a survey by Teach First, said they believed their children were unlikely to go on to a career in Stem.
Asked about the barriers their children faced, parents referred to a lack of confidence, few role models in the Stem field and a general feeling that their children “don’t see it as subject for somebody like them”.
Russell Hobby, the chief executive of Teach First, which aims to address educational disadvantage in England and Wales, said: “I think people look at some of these jobs, and look at who gets them and who doesn’t, and they start to rule out whether those are meant for them and people like them.
“So they already think those jobs are off the table. I can’t believe that they don’t think they’re good jobs – it’s more they think they’re already stitched up.”
As well as talking to 750 parents, Teach First surveyed more than 1,000 children aged 11 to 16 and found only two-fifths (41.8%) of those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds said they would consider a Stem career.
One of the main issues the survey raised was the widespread shortage of specialist teachers in Stem subjects across England. Nearly nine in 10 parents (88%) said their children’s schools needed more high-quality maths and science teachers.
