This document seeks to call attention to the potential of STEM education to transform gender norms in the education system, to improve quality learning opportunities for girls, and to highlight key actions that can accelerate girls’ transition between education and technical expert jobs in STEM industries. Critically, STEM education also has the potential to contribute to personal empowerment, transformation of communities and nations, and building economies for the future.
The evidence presented here provides a foundation for a call to action for global, national and regional actors. All stakeholders are called to work together to dismantle the barriers that girls face to develop the skills they need to become users, shapers and creators of scientific knowledge and new technologies. This will allow girls to choose the skills they want to learn and how to apply them, empowering them to contribute to a gender-equal world.