 The next item of business is a member's business debate on motion 14877 in the name of Ian Gray, on the Royal Society of Edinburgh's Tapping All Our Talents 2018 progress report of Women in STEM. The debate will be concluded without any questions being put. Could I ask those members who wish to take part in the debate to press the request-to-speak buttons now? I call on Ian Gray to open the debate. In 2012, the Royal Society of Edinburgh published the first Tapping All Our Talents report. That was the most comprehensive analysis of gender inequality in science in Scotland. Its findings were perhaps not surprising, but some were shocking. Its conclusions showed just how poor we are at recruiting women into STEM subjects and careers. Perhaps its most damning statistic was that, even where women overcame all the barriers in their way and did study STEM subjects to a graduate level, 73 per cent of them did not then go on to pursue a career in STEM. Their skills, their training, their intellect and their talent were simply lost to this critical sector. The report quickly became the seminal research informing the debate around addressing this criminal waste of talent. It should have been a wake-up call of how far we had to go or have to go in involving and improving the position of women in STEM, not just as a matter of basic justice and fairness but as an economic and social necessity. Indeed, the RSE estimated that doubling women's contribution to the STEM workforce could be worth as much as £170 million to Scotland's national income. Tapping All Our Talents made a number of recommendations on how improvements could be made so that young women had the opportunities to progress and excel in STEM and make it their chosen career path. Six years on, the Royal Society of Edinburgh has returned to this issue to research what, if any, progress has been made and produced Tapping All Our Talents 2018. There has been some progress. For example, the highly regarded Athena Swan programme to address gender equality is now operating in 73 science and medicine departments around Scotland. That is up from five in 2012. UK-wide, the proportion of women in core STEM professions has risen from 13 per cent to 23 per cent. However, the RSE report shows that in some areas of further and higher education at best, we have seen only slight improvements with regard to women in STEM, such as a 2 per cent increase in undergraduate engineers. However, at worst, and in many areas, we have seen further decline. That is confirmed by Scottish Labour research, published today, which shows that in IT-related college courses such as computer science and software development, there has been a significant drop in the number of women enrolments. A worrying trend for ensuring a high-skilled skills pipeline. However, the most worrying evidence in this year's report probably comes from schools. We still see the impact of gendered stereotypes in STEM having an impact on uptake and opportunities, with no real progress at all being made since 2012. Once again, in the critical area of computer related studies, we see the starkest gender gap with young women studying those subjects at levels 3 to 5, plummeting from 32 per cent to 18 per cent. The percentage of girls sitting in exams in those computer-related qualifications at a higher level fell from 25 per cent in 2012 to 16 per cent last year. Meanwhile, the proportion of girls taking physics at levels 3 to 5 and sitting physics exams at higher also fell over the same period. Indeed, despite the fact that many STEM subjects in schools have women underrepresented in the classroom, we should note carefully that every single subject sees women with better attainment levels than men at national 5, every single subject. The gender gap in STEM has nothing to do with aptitude. It has nothing to do with women's brains being different or their skillset unsuited to STEM. It has everything to do with attitude, conscious and unconscious bias and systemic everyday sexism. It has everything to do with men such as Professor Stromea from CERN, who notoriously claimed that physics was built and developed by men and it is not by invitation. Tell that to Professor Sheila Rowan, Scotland's chief scientific adviser and a major contributor to the detection of gravitational waves. Professor Rowan is a tremendous role model for women in STEM, but we need more than women being role models. We need men to address their attitudes and quickly. The RSE is planning a range of follow-up work to this progress report. In early April, it will continue the conversation through an exhibition that showcases women in science in Scotland, celebrating their achievements and highlighting the work that still needs to be done to address gender inequality in STEM. It also plans a series of round-table discussions with representatives from across the education, third sector business and government sectors to discuss the issues raised in the report and what can be done by organisations working together to deliver gender equality. This time, tapping on our talent report's recommendation goes deeper than the need for programmes such as Athena Swann valuable though they continue to be. This time, the report demands a focus on behavioural change to really recognise the gender equality and STEM for everyone and to render bias and discrimination simply unacceptable. Above all, it demands leadership to achieve this, from government, from industry, from educators and colleagues from all of us. Not warm words nor empty rhetoric, but support for real action and a willingness to confront the bias, discrimination and sexism that stops us tapping all the talents that we must bring to bear on our scientific future. It may cost money, it will certainly take a more concerted effort than we have been willing to make up until now, it will certainly upset Professor Stromea and his ilk and all the better for that. However, we cannot afford to ignore the wake-up call of tapping on our talents this time around. Thank you very much, Mr Gray. I call Clare Adamson to follow by Alexander Burnett. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I congratulate Ian Gray on bringing this motion to the Parliament and having the opportunity to debate. Today, the 2012 tapping on our talents report is one that I have used in many occasions to inform debates in this chamber. It was a really important piece of work. I, too, welcome the review and the republication in 2018. Professor Anne Glover is the RSE president who does it forward. Professor Leslie Yellowleece was the chair of the committee looking at that and to the foremost women scientists that we have in our country and certainly role models for young women in Scotland. I, too, welcome some of the improvements that have been noted in the report. The proportion of female STEM graduates in the UK has increased from 27 per cent to 30 per cent. The current rate of progress in STEM footsie 100 companies in expecting to meet a voluntary target of 33 per cent of women in boards by 2020. I do find some of those targets quite worrying, though. As someone who supports the women in 50-50 campaign for representation in politics, I find that hard, because the effect of what they are saying is that they are content of 66 per cent as men. Turning that argument around how unequal the position is for women in some of those organisations. In academia, the number of Scottish STEM, including medicine departments, holding Athena Swan as a major by angry, has increased. The proportion of professors in mathematics has trebled female professors from 3 per cent to 10 per cent, and chemistry doubled from 5 per cent to 10 per cent. There are progress being made, although there is much work to do. I point to another important report, Automatic for the People, which was produced by the SEDI in conjunction with BT Scotland IS, which is representative of the information systems community in Scotland and with the RSE. The fourth industrial revolution is upon us already. We have to ensure that Scotland, our communities, our economy are geared up for taking advantage of what is coming our way. However, while we are highlighting that, the Fraser of Island institute is quoted in that report. It has conducted research to show that of the 2,826,000 jobs in Scotland, 837,290 of those, almost a third, are going to be impacted by the fourth industrial revolution, digital technology and sensor technology. What we want is for Scotland to be leading in this area, which means that we need people to come through at schools, at universities, at all levels and to study STEM subjects. I know that the Government has done a number of areas to support that. Our own Education and Skills Committee is hoping to conduct a review of the STEM strategy that the Government is due to publish. I look forward to hearing when that might be available. We have great examples, such as the census that is supported by the Scottish Government, which is the centre of excellence in the world for sensor and imaging technology. We have an opportunity, but in order to maximise that opportunity for highly productive, highly-paid jobs in Scotland, we have to ensure that all our young people are aware of the opportunities and that women who want to study and work in this area are given every opportunity to support them in their ambitions to work in STEM. I call Alexander Burnett to be followed by James Kelly. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I start by joining members from across the chamber in congratulating Ian Gray for bringing this motion and welcoming the publication of the Royal Society of Edinburgh's report, Tapping All Our Talents, Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. I also wholeheartedly support the society in raising this important issue of gender equality in STEM. The report has found a significant gender gap within STEM leadership roles and little progress in the proportion of women studying STEM subjects in colleges and universities. Having read this briefing, along with other reports, the importance of STEM is clear, as is the impacts and causes of lost talent in those fields and actions that the Scottish Government must take. Currently, Scotland's reputation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is strong, and those fields are a key sector of our economy. Unfortunately, in our schools, we have seen female participation decrease in many STEM subjects such as computing and physics. Early and sustained intervention is essential to inspire interest in STEM by young students of all genders. Furthermore, we are concerned that many women are discouraged from pursuing STEM careers. In today's society, women face obstacles to participating and progressing in science and technology careers. Those barriers include family responsibilities, implicit bias and lower access to research funding. Even if women do pursue STEM subjects, we find that many highly qualified women are leaving the sector early. To add insult to injury, even when they do stay, women are consistently underrepresented at the executive level. Why does that matter? Our economy is dependent on women's participation in the labour market. An increase in females in the STEM workforce could be worth at least £2 billion to the Scottish economy. However, what we are faced with is a stream of women leaving the sector and now some employers in Scotland are struggling to recruit. In short, losing women in the STEM field weakens both Scottish business and the Scottish economy. Already, we have seen our economy weaken under the current leadership with the most recent GDP figures, showing Scotland's economy growing at half the rate of the rest of the UK as a whole. Without action, we will continue to miss innovation and market opportunities. Just last week, I had the pleasure of visiting the data lab and meeting with the head of business development, Jude McCorrie. She is quite simply passionate about Scotland's role as a leader, both in data research and women in data. This rapidly growing sector possibly provides an even greater opportunity for women in STEM than perhaps some of the more traditional engineering fields. That is possibly reflected in how she is joined at the top of her field by women such as Gillian Docherty, the chief executive of the data lab Francis Sneddon, the chief technology officer at Simulate, and chief executives such as Paulie Purvis, Mandy Haven Little, Julia Grieve, Susan Ramanach of Scotland IS, Scotland Business Resilience Centre, Crichton and Spiritus respectively, many of whom members may have had the opportunity to meet at the event last night. However, how do we find the next generation? In March, the data lab is putting on a programme on women in data science. It will bring together current female data scientists and schoolgirls to inspire them to become the data leaders of the future. The Royal Society also plans to put on an exhibition in April to showcase women in science in Scotland and to celebrate their achievements. I am pleased that there will be round-table discussions with representatives from education, business, government and more to evaluate the report and develop solutions. The Scottish Government has a responsibility to promote gender equality in STEM fields through its policies on education, training and economic development. Those are the sort of initiatives that the Scottish Conservatives and I hope that everyone in the chamber supports. Thank you very much, Mr Burnett. I call James Kelly to be followed by Oliver Mundell. Mr Mundell will be the last speaker in the open debate. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. Like other speakers in the debate, I congratulate Ian Gray on securing the debate this afternoon. It is a very important debate to highlight the issue not only of STEM and the economy but the importance of getting more women into STEM positions. It is very useful that we have the Tapping All of Talent report, because it gives us a benchmark from 2012 from which to measure against. As Ian Gray pointed out, there had been some progress, but another aspect of progress has been slowed and, in some cases, has declined. That should be a real concern to MSPs across all the chamber. If you want Scotland to do well as a country, we need to grow our economy. A key factor in that has to be the information technology and engineering sectors. Not only have we got to get skilled and good people into those sectors, but the fact that we are so short in terms of women recruits, for example, on information technology, women only make up 17 per cent of the workforce, it clearly shows not only that we are letting women down and not giving them those opportunities, but we are also not making the most in terms of tapping into the strengths that can give us economic growth. In terms of looking at the issue, you can see that there is almost a flow to that problem. There has been a decline of 1,000 completions in terms of people entering industry. You can go all the way down to secondary school and see that, in terms of between S3 and S5, in computing subjects, there has been a decline from 32 per cent to 18 per cent. There is not enough women studying those subjects. One of the things that we need to do is to take it all the way back into primary school and raise STEM awareness with young kids in their formative years, so that they not only realise the importance of information technology and engineering, but also what an exciting career it can be. To do that, STEM subjects should be given a much greater priority in primary schools. There is perhaps a natural instinct to concentrate on the traditional subjects, such as English, mathematics and reading. We are not gearing up enough for the modern economy and concentrating more on engineering and information technology. One way that can be encouraged in primary schools is the use of STEM ambassadors and bringing young women in from universities and colleges to study STEM subjects and industry to talk to primary school kids about the importance of a career in studying STEM. I know that that has been done in primary schools in Glasgow and it has been very exciting in the one-experience annual that young kids were very enthused by it. As Ian Gray said, it will need a much more concentrated effort and it needs it across all sectors. From primary school through to secondary school into higher education and from industry, linking in with those sectors. It is vital that we give women the opportunities to deserve and make the most for their economy. We need to learn the lessons from the latest tap in all the talents report. I thank Ian Gray for bringing this important issue to the chamber and congratulating him on securing the time. I agree wholeheartedly that it is important that it is men who take to some degree the lead on those issues. We all have a responsibility to stand up for genuine equality, but I think that that goes further than that. We all have a responsibility to help to build the society that we want to see. That is more than just economic. We all lose out where people are held back and where we do not make the most of what everyone has to offer. The economic figures are stark. That figure of £170 million would go a long way to supporting many initiatives that would unlock further economic potential. We have to ask ourselves when we are getting wake-up calls like this more than once and we are not making any progress. Are we part of that problem? Are we doing enough? Are we doing everything that we can? Or do we just pay lip service to those issues and then move on to other things? I know that, through my involvement on the education committee, there are interesting issues that members take seriously, but it is not enough just to take them seriously. We have to see something done. Too often, because there are so many factors involved, because those issues are so complicated and deep-routed, it is easy to say that it is too difficult or that the problem lies somewhere else. We have to make sure that something happens this time, because I do not want to see another report like this that shows progress stagnating. James Kelly is right when he is saying that we need to focus much younger. I would go even further still and say that it is an important part at the early years level. Both at primary school and at early years, there is much more that can be done to help to break down gender stereotypes when it comes to play and learning. It is not saying that gender is not important, but it is making sure that people have a free choice. I would highlight the point that Clare Adamson made in terms of what women want to do. Sometimes, when we have those debates, we make out that there are things happening. As well as making sure that the opportunities are there, we have to make sure that people want to take them up. That is about explaining the benefits to individuals, as well as saying that it would be good for society or for industry, or that we have a skills shortage. That brings me on to industry itself. It is not just a problem for UK Government, Scottish Government or for public bodies. We have to be asking industry to do more. There are lots of good practice out there with companies working hard to support programmes with people going into schools or to train people up themselves. That is very clear, partly because of economic pressures and other business priorities. Sometimes, those issues end up being a little bit ticked box. For large companies who have capacity to help here, we need to find a way to make it easier for them to promote those issues and to make sure that we are getting information to young people at the key points of their education. I also think that we have to look at education in schools and make sure that people have that genuine range of subject choices and that they have the opportunity to access resources at colleges, not just in school. I think that all those things would help. I hope that right across the chamber that we will continue to support initiatives that get right to the heart of the problem. I thank Iain Gray for bringing forward the debate today. I have to say that he made a very fine opening speech. I agreed with virtually every single point that he made during that fine contribution. I also thank all the other members. Again, I agreed with virtually every point made by all members across the chamber today. I have to start by saying that the Government is absolutely committed to addressing gender inequality in society, in the economy and in education as well. Indeed, only yesterday, the First Minister renewed her commitment to tackling gender inequality when she met her national advisory council on women and girls. She promised to give full and careful consideration to her first annual report, which was published only last week. We can all agree today, and we have agreed that there is no place for gender bias and gender stereotyping that limits the achievements of women and girls in STEM or in any other sector in life. I thank the Royal Society of Edinburgh for a balanced, thorough and thought-provoking review of the current state of women in STEM in Scotland today. I know that they have arranged a number of follow-up activities following the report. The Scottish Government has offered to be involved in as many of those activities as they feel would be appropriate. As Iain Gray said, the report acknowledges the positive progress that has been made in many areas, but progress has not been made in enough areas. In the current situation, I would certainly agree that it is simply not good enough, albeit we should recognise where progress has been made. James Kelly and Alexander Burnett mentioned some of the statistics that illustrate that we have so much more work to do. However, the report said that it is in terms of the Government that we have driven the equality agenda far beyond the remit of a dedicated equality team within the Government. It says that it is heartened by the progress that has been achieved, notwithstanding the many challenges that still remain. The report also highlights the action that has already been taken in schools, in colleges, in universities and apprenticeships as well. As James Kelly highlighted, it is really important that we take action in our schools. Some of the initiatives that are underway in Scotland include the Big Me week, which took place at Ravenswood primary school in Cumbernauld, and the gender-friendly physics programme that took place at Lomond School in Helensborough, the University of Strathclyde, engineering the future for girls programme, and equate Scotland's work with West Lothian College in their career-wise programme, just to give a very small set of examples of what has happened across the country in recent months and years. The report also says that that kind of progress that I have mentioned is not universal, and that is, of course, one of our biggest challenges. It points to the on-going, persistent gender imbalance in subjects and in the labour market as well. For example, in the year 2017-18, engineering modern apprenticeships attracted just over 5 per cent of female starts, and only 4 per cent of staff in Scottish Early Learning and Child Care settings are male. The report presents government, education, industry and academia with a set of complex and challenging recommendations. We are, as a Government, already taking action on some of the themes in the report, and again we will look to how we can do more. In terms of leadership and cultural change, we are providing leadership to drive forward cultural change. This is the remit of the First Minister's National Advisory Council on Women and Girls, which I mentioned before, and we are also demonstrating leadership through our work on the gender pay gap, for instance, and latest statistics show that we are currently having the lowest gender pay cap on record at 15 per cent for all employees and 5.7 per cent for full-time employees. There is still some way to go, but progress is certainly being made. Like the raw society, we recognise as much more to be done, and that is why we have been working intensively with partners and interest groups to develop a gender pay gap action plan for Scotland, which will be published in the coming months. There are strong similarities between the themes that are identified in the Tapping Aller Talent report and the themes that will be addressed in the gender pay action plan. We have also shown leadership by making equity a central theme of our STEM education and training strategy. That strategy includes a range of actions designed to tackle behavioural change and attitudes against something highlighted by Ian Gray and other members in today's debate, and those are based on evidence and monitoring of what actually works. Research strongly suggests that there is no inherent difference between girls and boys that limits their interests, their capabilities or ambitions, as, again, we have confirmed today. Research also suggests that the period between ages 10 to 14 is a very critical time for the development of young people's attitudes to science, and by age 14, most young people's attitudes are fixed. For the past three years, the Institute of Physics in partnership with Skills Development Scotland and Education Scotland have been conducting a pilot programme on what works best in schools to address gender imbalance in STEM. That project is focused on gender stereotyping and unconscious bias. We know that those shapes are self-identity and aspiration in young people, and we know that those are the root cause of the gender imbalance that we see in the statistics. That project found that it is important to start that work early in education, as other members have mentioned. It found that whole-school approaches that go beyond STEM and into other subjects are needed as well. The project received a very positive evaluation, with 97 per cent of participants reporting that they had more confidence in their ability to tackle gender imbalance as a result of having taken part. Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate have published findings from the pilot, which is accessible in an accessible format for teachers and for early learning and childcare providers to use. Under the STEM strategy of the Government, Education Scotland has appointed a dedicated team of six gender balance and equity equality officers who will develop and spread the best practice from that pilot. The aim is to ensure that all school clusters in Scotland are involved in that by 2022. Again, we will monitor that and evaluate it on an on-going basis. On our colleges and universities, which are highlighted in Ian Gray's motion, each college and university has a gender action plan. The Scottish Funding Council requires universities to report on how they are promoting gender equality in their workforce and in their governance boards, and it also includes reporting and action taken to address gender imbalance in senior and management staff as well. At the level of individual students, a social media campaign led by young Scott is challenging stereotypes and highlighting positive STEM careers and career pathways for students and prospective students at our colleges and universities. There is also a lot of action happening in the workplace as well, and I could speak about that, but it is important that we address what is happening in the workplace. I think that all of our Mandel and others mentioned the importance of ensuring that industries are playing their part as well. However, we support Equate Scotland in that regard, and it is taking action to promote and encourage women into jobs in STEM sectors. That includes targeted support for women returning to STEM jobs from a career break. We are also committed to tackling discrimination in the workplace and promoting fair work practices, and that is all part of the fair work action plan that we will publish shortly as well as part of our ambition to make Scotland a fair work nation by 2025. In conclusion, we could perhaps have another broader debate on this at some future occasion in Parliament. It is really important to talk about this issue today in light of the Tapping All Our Talent report. I hope that I have demonstrated that the Government is playing our role in demonstrating leadership, showing leadership and driving cultural change. Their approach focuses on behavioural change and is based on what works. My officials and the Government will continue to work with the Royal Society of Edinburgh and others to seek new and creative ways of addressing many of the challenges that have been raised today. However, that partnership approach is crucial, involving parents, teachers, employers and science-based professional bodies. Clare Adamson highlighted the changing nature of Scotland's economy and ensuring that Scotland is absolutely prepared for those changes. My assurance today is to make sure that we take the lessons from Tapping All Our Talents 2018, as published by the Royal Society for Edinburgh, to make sure that we are prepared for that. Everyone in Scotland is making their contribution and it is their opportunity to realise that vision as well. Thank you very much.