Every year on February 11, the United Nations celebrates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and Technology. This makes it the perfect moment to take a closer look at some figures in Limburg and examine to what extent Limburg’s women are active in scientific professions or STEM education.
And what do we find? Limburg leads Flanders in terms of the share of employed women working in scientific and technological professions. More than 11% of the employed female workforce in Limburg are specialists in science, healthcare, or ICT. However, there is still a long way to go to encourage more women to pursue higher education in STEM fields.
Women in ‘Science and Technology’: The Bigger Picture
Looking at the broader picture, in 2023, as many as 45.1% of employed women in Limburg worked in science and technology in a broad sense. Eurostat, the European statistical office that collects these figures, uses a broad definition of occupations in “science and technology.” For example, teachers, nurses, technical support staff, and certain administrative roles are also included.[1] These are large occupational groups that are often dominated by women, which explains the strong female representation in this concept of “science and technology.”
With 45.1% of Limburg’s women working in science and technology, the province scores slightly above the Flemish average (43.5%). Only in Flemish Brabant is the share slightly higher (46.2%). Limburg outperforms all other Flemish provinces. In West Flanders, the share of employed women in science and technology is the lowest (38.4%).
In all provinces, women are proportionally more active in science and technology than men. In Limburg, the gap is even the largest, with 32.9% of the male workforce working in science and technology compared to 45.1% of women.
Limburg Has the Highest Number of Female Specialists in Science, Healthcare, and ICT
To focus more on the core of the matter, we filter out certain professional groups, specifically specialists in science, healthcare, and ICT. This includes, among others, natural and biological scientists, various engineering professions, architects, doctors, managerial staff and specialists in healthcare, software developers, and database or network specialists.[2]
Even with this narrower scope, Limburg’s women score highly. In fact, Limburg has the highest share of employed women working in these fields of all Flemish provinces: 11.5% of all employed women in Limburg work as specialists in science, healthcare, or ICT. The Flemish average is 9.3%. In the province of Antwerp, the share is one percentage point lower than in Limburg (10.5%), while West Flanders again has the lowest share (6.3%).
Notably, Limburg ranks the lowest in terms of male participation among specialists in science, healthcare, and ICT: only 8.8% of employed men in Limburg work in these fields. The Flemish average is 10.8%. In Flemish Brabant and East Flanders, the shares exceed 12%.
Limburg is also the only province where proportionally more women than men are active in this group of scientific and technological professions (11.5% versus 8.8%). However, this is partly due to a significant increase in the female share in the last reference year (2023), although this appears to be more of a recovery compared to previous years. Meanwhile, the male share has been declining for three consecutive years. Across Flanders, there is not only a downward trend among men but recently also a slight decline among women.
But… A Large Gender Gap in Higher STEM Education
These are strong figures for female employment in specialized scientific and technological professions in Limburg. However, this positive trend does not extend to higher STEM education, which is a crucial pipeline for highly skilled scientific and technical talent in the labor market.
Only 7.4% of all female students who graduated from higher education in Limburg in the 2022-2023 academic year obtained a STEM degree (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics). Among male students in Limburg, this percentage was much higher at 38.1%. In absolute numbers, this translates to 320 female graduates and 1,200 male graduates that academic year.
Across Flanders, the share of women graduating in STEM fields is slightly higher (8.8%), but the gender gap remains large—38.1% of male students also graduate in STEM fields.
This indicates a (very) large gender gap. Moreover, higher STEM education has not become more popular among girls in recent years. The share of female students graduating in higher STEM education has barely increased over the past five years: both in Limburg and in Flanders, the increase was only one percentage point. Encouraging more girls to pursue STEM education remains a major challenge if we want to fully harness female talent in the knowledge economy of tomorrow.
Limburg: A Hub for (Female) Scientists, Engineers, and Healthcare Specialists
Limburg’s economy is increasingly evolving into a knowledge economy centered on research, development, and innovation. Scientists, engineers, and specialists in healthcare and ICT play a leading role in this transformation. Limburg scores well when looking at the share of its residents active in these professions, largely thanks to women.
Even from a European perspective, Limburg performs well. Across the EU, an average of 7.6% of employed women work as specialists in science, healthcare, and ICT. In the Netherlands, this figure is 9.8%. For comparison, in Limburg, it is 11.5%, in Flanders 9.3%, and in Belgium 9.4%.
Limburg has significant potential to become a leading innovation region and further invest in economic activities that attract these professional profiles. The development of Limburg DC, including the innovative Construction Campus and the internationally oriented Health Campus, demonstrates the province’s commitment to this goal. Additionally, the arrival of the Einstein Telescope in the region could significantly increase the number of (female) scientists and engineers settling here, potentially propelling Limburg to the top of Europe’s innovation landscape.
Furthermore, continuous investment in strong scientific and technology-oriented higher and university education in Limburg remains high on the agenda to make the region more competitive and knowledge-driven. However, a major challenge remains: attracting more Limburg girls to these fields.
[1] Eurostat defines “science and technology” based on the (complete) occupational groups 2 and 3 of the ISCO occupational classification (ISCO 2: intellectual, scientific, and artistic professions / ISCO 3: technicians and related professions). See also Statbel for an overview of occupations in these groups.
[2] This follows the European definition of “scientist or engineer” under ISCO occupational groups 21, 22, and 25.
