The paradox of access – Three hidden gaps holding girls back in ICT education

Through our work in pedagogical development, we often encounter a persistent contradiction. Today, digital tools are deeply embedded in our curricula, and girls have the same formal access to ICT education as boys. Yet they remain significantly underrepresented in technology-related study paths and careers. If access is no longer the main barrier, what is holding girls back?

In the LeadHER project (co-funded by the European Union), we explored this ‘paradox of access’ on a European scale. Our project partners conducted extensive field and desk research across Bulgaria, Portugal, and Spain, engaging directly with students, teachers, and industry representatives.

As researchers working with the national datasets collected in these countries, we were tasked with synthesising findings from diverse educational and cultural contexts into a shared evidence base. What surprised us was not that barriers to girls’ participation existed. Similar challenges have been identified internationally for years. What surprised us was how consistently the same patterns appeared across all three countries despite their different educational systems and cultural contexts.

Repeatedly, the data pointed us towards three interconnected dynamics that shape girls’ participation in ICT education. We named the interconnected dynamics as follows:

• the Confidence Gap
• the Socialisation Gap
• the Pedagogical Gap

These findings became the foundation of the LeadHER Global Report and ultimately informed the development of the LeadHER Teaching Framework. Rather than focusing only on access, the framework seeks to address the deeper psychological, cultural, and pedagogical factors that influence girls’ engagement with technology.

From skills to self-belief: The Confidence Gap

Girls often demonstrate digital skills that are perfectly comparable to those of boys. The issue we found across the data is not competence, but confidence. In the research, girls frequently underestimated their technical abilities, hesitated to take leadership roles, and expressed anxiety about making mistakes in technical tasks. This pattern plays out in subtle classroom dynamics. As one of the teachers interviewed during the field research pointedly observed:

Girls are interested, but they rarely get the keyboard first.

Small moments like these leave a mark. When students repeatedly see others taking the lead, they can internalise the idea that technology is not ‘their’ space. To bridge this gap, learning environments must actively encourage experimentation and provide visible female role models to build self-efficacy.

These findings became a key starting point for the LeadHER development work. Based on the research, the project began developing a mentoring programme that connects girls with women working in ICT. The aim is to provide systematic role models, strengthen girls’ confidence in their own abilities, and make technology careers more visible and attainable.

By creating opportunities for girls to meet women who have built successful careers in the field, the programme seeks to challenge stereotypes and support a stronger sense of belonging in ICT.

Beyond the classroom: The Socialisation Gap

The second barrier extends into peer groups, families, and broader cultural narratives. Across the partner countries, the data showed how cultural expectations and peer norms continue to shape perceptions of who ‘belongs’ in technology.

These dynamics are rarely intentional, but they shape how young people perceive their options. When boys dominate shared digital platforms or collaborative coding tasks, and technology remains culturally coded as a ‘boy’s domain’, girls gradually distance themselves. Bridging this gap means recognizing that schools cannot do it alone. We need families, communities, and the industry to act as active motivators of girls’ digital learning rather than passive observers.

These findings directly informed the development of the LeadHER Family and Community Engagement Programme. While mentoring focuses on strengthening girls’ confidence, this strand of the project focuses on the wider environment surrounding them.

The programme seeks to engage families, communities and local stakeholders in creating supportive conditions for girls’ digital learning. By challenging stereotypes and fostering positive attitudes towards girls’ participation in technology, it aims to strengthen girls’ sense of belonging in ICT.

Good intentions are not enough: The Pedagogical Gap

It is important to highlight that teachers are deeply committed to gender equality and actively look for ways to engage all students in ICT. The challenge is not a lack of motivation, but a lack of structured support.

Across the studied countries, educators reported limited access to gender-responsive training, inclusive teaching materials, and practical tools for recognising and addressing gender bias in digital learning environments. As a result, inclusive teaching often relies on individual intuition rather than systematic frameworks.

These findings directly informed the development of the LeadHER Teachers’ Toolbox. While mentoring strengthens girls’ confidence and family engagement broadens their sense of belonging, the Teachers’ Toolbox focuses on everyday pedagogical practice. It provides educators with practical methods, learning activities and reflective tools to create more inclusive ICT learning environments.

The goal is to make gender-responsive pedagogy a shared professional practice rather than something that depends on individual teachers’ personal commitment and experience.

Moving from access to participation

Over the past decade, education policy has focused heavily on devices, infrastructure, and curricula. While these structural frameworks are essential, our synthesis of the LeadHER research shows that they are only the starting point.

If we want more girls to choose and remain in ICT pathways, we must pay equal attention to confidence, belonging, and pedagogy. These dimensions are deeply interconnected. Confidence grows when girls see people like themselves succeeding in technology. A sense of belonging develops when families, communities, and schools communicate that ICT is a space where girls are welcome. Inclusive pedagogy provides the everyday learning experiences that turn aspirations into reality.

This understanding became the starting point for the LeadHER Teaching Framework. Based on the evidence gathered across the partner countries, we proposed a framework built around three interconnected components:

• Mentoring for girls
• Family and Community Engagement Programme
• Teachers’ Toolbox for educators

Together, these components seek to transform isolated good practices into a coherent and sustainable approach to gender equality in ICT education.

As the project moves forward, our hope is that these findings will contribute not only to classroom practice but also to wider policy discussions about the future of digital education in Europe. Because ultimately, the question is no longer whether girls have access to technology. The question is whether we are creating the conditions that allow them to see themselves as future creators, innovators, and leaders in the digital world.

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