Women More Frequently Start MINT Studies - New Record - Women reach record 36% of STEM students in Germany—but gaps remain
Women now make up a record 36% of first-semester STEM students in Germany, according to 2024 figures. Yet despite this growth, men still dominate technical apprenticeships and degree programmes. The latest data reveals both progress and persistent gaps in gender representation across science, technology, engineering, and maths fields.
In 2024, nearly 318,800 students began STEM courses—39% of all new undergraduates. Computer science attracted the most (45,800), followed by mechanical engineering (23,100) and business informatics (22,000). Overall enrolments rose by 3% from 2023, though numbers remain 5% lower than a decade ago.
Women's share of first-year STEM students climbed from 31% in 2014 to 36% in 2024. However, their presence varies sharply by subject. Interior architecture had the highest proportion of women at 87%, while vehicle engineering had the lowest at 10%. Apprenticeships show an even wider divide. Only 12% of new STEM trainees in 2024 were women, with men making up the remaining 88%. In trades like electronics and heating/air-conditioning installation, women accounted for just 3% of starters. Total STEM apprenticeships grew by 5% to 167,700, but no single company has emerged as a leader in recruiting female apprentices in electrical, IT, or mechanical engineering roles. Over the past decade, the share of women in STEM apprenticeships has barely shifted, holding steady at 11–12% in both 2014 and 2024. No detailed breakdown by company is available to explain the stagnation
The 2024 figures confirm a gradual increase in women's participation in STEM education, particularly at university level. Yet apprenticeships and certain technical fields remain overwhelmingly male. With no major companies identified as driving change, the pace of progress in closing gender gaps appears slow and uneven across different sectors.
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