How NI's STEM industry is tackling its gender gap

It is literally Emma Morris' job to keep the lights across Northern Ireland on.

As director of operations for SONI, Northern Ireland's electricity grid operator, she oversees the electricity network.

But she wants more young women to follow in her footsteps.

Emma Morris is one of the few women in leadership positions in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) in Northern Ireland.

According to the Department for the Economy's (DfE) women in STEM taskforce, only one in five STEM jobs are filled by women.

Emma Morris took A-levels in maths, physics and chemistry before studying electrical and electronic engineering at Queen's University Belfast (QUB).

"We've made real progress in recent years but it's still very much a male dominated profession," she told BBC News NI.

She said at QUB, while there were "around 120 people in my class, four of us were girls".

But the "gender gap" between girls and boys studying STEM subjects starts earlier, at school.

In 2024, while maths and physics were among the most popular subjects studied at A-level by boys they were not in the top five most popular subjects taken by girls.

During Engineers Week, which took place earlier in March, Emma Morris and SONI hosted pupils from Lagan College in Belfast with the aim of encouraging young women to pursue STEM careers.

"There maybe is that perception, traditionally, that engineering in particular, and other STEM subjects, are more male-oriented careers," Emma Morris said.

"Engineering is about so much more than that, and I don't know why females don't flock to the STEM subjects."

Civil engineer Clare Morris also came to SONI to meet the pupils.

She is an associate director at a large civil engineering consultancy in Belfast called McAdam Design.

She helped to create Engineers Week to raise awareness of careers in engineering.

"We've engaged over 2,000 children across Northern Ireland this year in the roles of engineering, in hands-on activities," she said.

Clare Morris recognised what she described as "the disparity" between men and women studying engineering when she was one of only seven women in a class of over 150 studying civil engineering at university.

"Whilst the number of women in engineering is increasing, it's not increasing at a rate where we're seeing it reflected in those graduate or middle management or senior management roles," she said.

Clare Morris said that stereotypes around engineering and other STEM careers needed to be tackled.

"There's that misconception that engineering is about physical labour, hard hats, muddy boots and construction," she said.

"When really at the core of engineering it's about communication, creativity, innovation and teamwork."

The message was certainly getting through to Lagan College pupils Lauren and Eva, who are studying STEM subjects.

"In the past they've been very known to be boys' subjects or subjects that boys predominantly would have done," Lauren told BBC News NI.

"Knowing that not many girls do it or thinking 'am I going to be the only girl in the class?' would make you not want to go on to study it."

But Lauren is now looking at a future career as an engineer.

"Once women and girls start coming in then other younger girls will feel more confident.

"That's how it will grow."

Eva, meanwhile, is considering mechanical or electrical engineering as a future career.

"Men and women, obviously their brain power is basically the same so I think more women should definitely be encouraged to go into more STEM subjects," she said.

"You should really just follow what you are best at, so if you think that you are going to be good at those subjects you should definitely go for it and shouldn't worry about what other people are going to think or say."

For SONI's Emma Morris, it is about getting girls interested in STEM at a young age.

"It's really about getting to people when they're young, and trying to do away with the stereotypes, you know, that this is for men," she said.

"Because it's not."