Women who enrol in science-related degrees complete them faster than men and are more likely to graduate, but fewer than 16 per cent go on to be employed in a job that requires that skill level by the time they are 25.

A study has found that only one in 10 women will study a science, technology, engineering or maths degree, while employment rates in science-linked fields after graduation are abysmal, with more than half working in fields entirely unrelated to their field of study.