However, there was an overriding view that girls understood STEM subjects were important.

One 11-year-old French schoolgirl added: “When we do experiments, we learn new things that matter in our daily lives.” A 13-year-old in Poland pointed out that “we need to do more practical experiments so that we can see how things happen in the real world”.

“It would be great to invite a famous female scientist to school. Someone we could relate to and ask for advice,” a 16-year-old in Ireland remarked; while a 15-year-old in France believed “practical examples of what I have learned in physics help me better understand what I’m studying”.

Davida Wilson, a 17-year-old from the UK, believed the importance of learning STEM subjects should not be underestimated. In Year 11 (ages 15 and 16), she and her classmates were encouraged to participate in science: “There was a lot of emphasis on female empowerment and women being able to do anything. We were always encouraged to do as much as we can to represent females in science.”

However, that changed by Year 13 (ages 17 and 18), when educators were focused primarily on teaching students what they needed to know to pass exams, Wilson said.

“In primary school there’s not much exposure to science, but at secondary school it’s something new, so the teacher has a lot of influence on whether you like it,” she said.