Girls, listen up: 'studying science opens doors to fascinating careers' – FTSE boss.

FTSE 100 General Manager Nikki Yates claims more women in science and tech would boost the economy and mean women overall are better paid. She outlines her rational ahead of her speech at the UN commission on the status of women on Wednesday.

My day job requires me to be a leader. As a senior manager in a FTSE 100 healthcare company, I’m constantly asked for advice and direction by my team.

At home, it’s a different story. My two daughters are like most other young people – they think they know best. But there’s one topic in particular where I firmly put my foot down, and that’s the subjects they choose to study at school. I’ve always insisted that they must study a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) subject.

The UK has a skills gap in STEM subjects. The latest university entry figures show that only around 22 per cent of maths and computer science students are female, and this figure drops to 18 per cent for technology students and 13 per cent for engineering students.

We know there are 2.4 million women in the UK who are not working but want to work, and a further 1.3 million women who want to work more hours. By getting more women into work and balancing the gender gap in the UK’s workforce, we could add more than 10 per cent to our economy by 2030. STEM careers are an excellent place for us to start redressing the balance.

We need to broaden girls’ aspirations and career choices through stronger partnerships between schools, career development professionals, businesses and parents. At GSK, we try hard to encourage people into STEM education and careers – we run science activities in schools and take a leading role in the Government’s Apprentice Trailblazers initiative, as well as supporting STEM ambassadors from around the business to act as role models in their local communities.

By working together to encourage women into careers they may have previously shied away from, we will be able to help secure the future of the UK as a leader in science, as well as securing future economic growth.

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a. Niki Yates thinks that there are too many women working in the economy in science and tech.

b. Niki has to ask her colleagues for advice in her day job.

c. Niki's daughters are made to study a STEM subject at school.

d. A total of 3.7 million women either want to start work or work more hours in the UK.

Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.

a. Why is it important for girls to study STEM subjects?

b. What is being done to encourage more girls to have greater aspirations in education and work?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. improve (para. 1)                  d.) make greater (para. 6)

b. reason (para. 1)                     e.) avoid (para. 7)

c. go down (para. 4)

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a. People constantly ask me for advice.

I......

b. Niki said, I’ve always insisted that they must study a STEM subject.

Niki said that.......

c.If more girls study STEM subjects, the gender gap at work will be reduced.

If more girls studied.......

Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

Do you think it is important to study science at school? Why or why not?