The data

University and Stem, in ten years the number of girls graduating in Italia has decreased (in contrast to Germany, France and Spain)

The week dedicated to these subjects, established by Law No. 187 of 2023, runs until 11 February, in which the Ministry of Universities promotes and disseminates initiatives to raise awareness and stimulate interest in the disciplines, 'which represent, as a result of the ongoing technological-digital revolution, the driving force for the development of the economic, social and cultural fabric'

by Rome Editorial Staff

7 February 2026

AI artificial intelligence, STEM. Teenage students engage in hands-on STEM education, building robots and learn to use artificial intelligence through coding and programming.STEM education concept.

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Ten years in which, instead of moving forward, as other European countries have done, Italia has taken a step backwards. This is the situation regarding Stem degrees and the gender gap, the difference between the achievements of men and women.

These are those courses in science and technology (the acronym, not by chance, combines Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The week dedicated to these subjects, instituted by Law No. 187 of 2023, is being held until 11 February, in which the Ministry of Universities promotes and disseminates the initiatives carried out to raise awareness and stimulate interest in the disciplines, 'which represent, as a result of the technological-digital revolution underway, the driving force for the development of the economic, social and cultural fabric'.

But the gender gap widens

11 February is also the World Day of Women and Girls in Science and, for this reason, Talents Venture offers an analysis on the growth of total graduates in Italia (+35% between 2014 and 2024). The result is that the increase 'has neither translated into a strengthening of science and technology disciplines, nor into a narrowing of the gender gaps within them'.

Within this framework, it says, 'the gender balance remains substantially unchanged'. If women graduates are in the majority (58% of the total, a stable figure between 2014 and 2024), the supremacy is not reflected in the Stem disciplines: here, for every 10 graduates, only 4 are women, "a proportion that shows no signs of convergence over the decade and indeed registers a slight retreat" in the reference period.

To be noted, at least, is a slight increase over the decade as regards the share of female Stem graduates in the female population aged 18-25, from 1% in 2014 to 2% in 2024. However, this is, the report explains, "an increase that stems from two distinct dynamics: on the one hand, over the same period the female population 18-25 years old has decreased by 6%; on the other hand, the absolute number of Stem graduates has increased by 29%. A positive development that, however, within the university system, has not translated into a gender rebalancing in Stem".

The gap widens in the South

The gender gap was also highlighted recently by Istat, which recorded a share of Stem degrees rising to 36.9% among men (+2.1 points compared to 2023) and falling to 15% among women (-1.1 points) by 2024. The numbers are worse in the South, where the percentage of female graduates is 13% (in the North it is 16.3%).

In detail

Returning to the Talents Venture report, there is also a detailed overview of courses. The area of Engineering, which accounts for almost half of the Stem classes and more than 65,000 graduates in 2024, shows a slight reduction both in its weight in the total number of graduates (from 17% to 16%) and in the share of female graduates within it, which rises from 32% to 31%. The natural sciences, mathematics and statistics, accounting for 8% of the total number of graduates, maintained a substantially stable weight over the decade compared to 2014. Although it remains the only Stem field with a female majority, the proportion of female graduates in this area also shows a slight decline, from 60% to 59%.

Finally, ICT is the most dynamic area in terms of volume (+136% of graduates and +199% of female graduates) and it is also the only Stem area in which the share of female graduates increases over the period considered. In 2024, women represent 18% of graduates in the area, up from 15% in 2014. A "moderate increase, which does not change the area's strong gender imbalance. Moreover, ICT continues to weigh just 2% of the total number of Italian graduates, also in relation to a more restricted training offer".

In countertrend

The European comparison shows a different dynamic. In France, Germany and Spain, between 2014 and 2023, the share of Stem graduates increased slightly, although it remained at lower levels than in Italy. In these countries, therefore, in the face of a reduction in the overall weight of Stem, the female component within the area has strengthened, albeit moderately.

The advantages of Stems

A situation that emerges "despite high employment rates even for young Stem graduates". This is the title of the chapter that ISTAT has dedicated to the incidence of university studies on employment rates: in 2024, among 30-34 year olds the employment rate is 77.9% for graduates in the Humanities and Services area, it rises to 85.7% in the Socio-economic and Legal area, reaches 88.6% in the Medical and Pharmaceutical area and touches the highest value in the Stem disciplines (88.9%).

Among 30-34 year olds, the gender employment gap is widest among graduates in the medical and pharmaceutical disciplines (6 points, 86.6% and 92.6% respective rates) and in the socio-economic and legal disciplines (5 points, 83.8% and 88.8% respective rates), smaller among humanities degrees (3.3 points, 77.0% and 80.3% rates) and Stem degrees (3.2 points, 86.9% and 90.1%).

In particular, the gender gap varies from 4.5% (86.2% and 90.7% the respective rates) in the Stem area of 'science and mathematics' to 2.3% for the 'computer science, engineering and architecture' area (87.6% vs. 89.9%).

Brand connect

I prossimi eventi

Tutti gli eventi

Newsletter Scuola+

La newsletter premium dedicata al mondo della scuola con approfondimenti normativi, analisi e guide operative

Abbonati