The drivenbyher project is targeted at parents and teachers for distribution to their child or students as a way to decrease the gender disparity in motorsport-related careers. The project provides an online educational resource that sets out to encourage young girls, particularly those aged 7-11, to interact with motorsport subjects, through engagement with animations and games. The motorsport topics covered by this project can be closely tied to roles available within the industry today. The objectives designed to achieve the aims of the project are as follows:
There is a lack of female involvement within motorsport for a whole host of reasons, let's firstly consider some of these below to understand how we can contribute to closing the gender gap:
Women make up merely 29.2% of the STEM workforce, as discovered in the 2023 Global Gender Gap Report [1]. This type of statistic extends to motorsport, where in Formula 1, less than 10% of racing teams employees are women [2]. Understanding where this lack of female presence in these roles comes from is essential in order to create an effective solution. Research has shown that parents and families tend to encourage boys to pursue careers in STEM more than they do for girls, along with the discovery that girls feel as though they lack certain qualities neccessary for studying and pursuing STEM[3].. This research has fuelled the drivenbyher project, aiming to speak to teachers and parents to address these findings and create a collective solution.
The drivenbyher 'Digital Classroom' is an educational resource for children aged 7-11 to immerse themselves in the world of motorsport related STEM topics. The classroom grants students access to a series of educational animations, followed by games for consolidation of learning. The experience is designed to be engaging and exciting, where students can ignite an interest within motorsport and potential future career paths.
As discussed above, existing social and culturnal norms play a big role in the uptake of traditionally gendered subjects and careers. This means you, as parents and teachers, can help challenge the preconceptions of certain subjects and roles being for any one gender.
The drivenbyher Digital Classroom is designed to help you do this. By introducing your child or students to the resource, you can help dismantle this preconception. Help increase the confidence and excitement of young girls interested within the motorsport industry by giving them a head start for secondary education.
Whilst this project and the resources it provides are a good stepping stone for young girls to get involved within the industry and learn new things that would typically be determined as masculine, there is much to be done to dismantle the patriarchal systems.
To direct your child or student to the Digital Classroom, simply navigate to this site, or share this link: https://me21sl.leedsnewmedia.net/Project/Classroom/