Girls’ Schools and Women in STEM w/ Associate Professor Tanya Evans: August 24th 2026

Women who attended girls-only schools are overrepresented among female engineering and computer science students at the University of Auckland compared to women from co-ed schools, according to new research. Researchers found no equivalent effect for men who attended boys-only schools, raising questions about what girls’ schools may be doing differently when it comes to confidence, gender stereotypes and encouraging students into traditionally male-dominated subjects. Producer Pranuja spoke to University of Auckland Associate Professor of Mathematics Education Tanya Evans about what might be behind the difference and whether those lessons could be applied in co-educational schools.