Bridging the gender gap in the energy transition: addressing unmet aspirations and repellent effect in education and early career pathways in Italy, Germany and UK

The global energy transition requires not only technological innovation but also structural transformation in education and research cultures. Adopting a feminist analytical lens, we conducted focus groups with university students and academic staff across STEM and non-STEM disciplines in Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Qualitative analysis reveals persistent gender disparities in energy-related higher education and professional trajectories. These disparities emerge through two interrelated dynamics: unmet aspirations and repelling effects. The former reflects a misalignment between student expectations and curricular engagement with socio-technical dimensions of the energy transition, compounded by gender-blind pedagogical content. The latter captures the persistence of cultural norms and gender stereotypes that operate as structural barriers, disproportionately affecting women. We argue that addressing these gaps requires a reconfiguration of curricula, pedagogical approaches, and epistemological foundations, alongside the transformation of workplace cultures, to enable more equitable and socially engaged pathways into energy transition research and innovation.