You're never too young to think about breaking the glass ceiling according to one York mum who is doing her bit...

ISLA Macneil was horrified when her young daughter Lola told her she wanted to be an engineer, but couldn't – because she wasn't a boy.

"I thought if she had thoughts like that growing up in a feminist household, what could it be like for kids growing up in other homes?" says Isla.

But it was when Lola – a Star Wars fan – couldn't find a doll of female lead character Rey because only male toys were available, that Isla decided to take action.

She launched her business, Ingenues, creating activity boxes for children based on various inspirational female figures from history such as pilot Amy Johnson, confectioner Mary Ann Craven, astronaut Mae Jemison and nurse Mary Seacole.

Isla's aim was to tell their story and promote exciting careers to children – both girls and boys.

She said: "It's equally important for boys to see women in these roles and make it the norm for everyone."

There's no denying that gender stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination is still rife in society today.

One hundred years after women received the vote, females are still fighting for equality with men. In the workplace, despite equal pay legislation from the 1970s, women are still lagging behind men on the gender pay front. In terms of women in top jobs, we may have a female Prime Minister (for now at least), but according to figures from December 2017, 140 boards in the FTSE 250 have less than 25 per cent female directorship.

But Isla senses the mood is changing. As evidence, she points to the crowd-funded publication of the book Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, which reinvented fairy tales with the stories of 100 inspirational women from Elizabeth I to Serena Williams.

"I think everyone is interested in this and there is a lot more in the media too about the wage gap and promoting women in the work place,"insists Isla.

And so, Ingenues, she believes, is a timely venture.

On the back of the activity boxes, Isla also runs workshops – mixing learning, crafting, science and fun for primary-aged children. Again, the focus is firmly on women achievers and showing kids how to follow in their footsteps.

York Press:

Dad and engineer Ben shows youngsters at the workshop how to build a circuit for a light-up Christmas card

At today's "Exciting Electronics" workshop in the activity room at Spark:York, half a dozen children and parents are busy making light-up Christmas cards.

Isla has been telling them about Dame Caroline Haslett, who was born in 1895 and became an electrical engineer and wanted to make sure women and girls were able to get training in electronics.

In the session, the children, aged from three upwards, are shown how to make a circuit using copper tape, a battery and an LED light, to attach to Christmas cards they have painstakingly coloured in using felt pens.

Enthusiastically, Isla shows the children how to carefully build and test the circuit. The children enjoy lighting up the little glass bulbs, and seeing the different colours of each light.

Eric Armitage, eight, has made two cards. On one, he has artfully placed his circuit on the inside but popped the LED light through the card so it shines from the top of his drawing of a Christmas tree.

This is the third workshop of Isla's he has attended. "I've been to the one on sound effects and one on bridges," he tells me.

His mum, Sam, has a science degree and says it makes sense to get kids switched on to the subject at an early age. She said: "I think kids are naturally scientists and that needs to be encouraged. They naturally want to find out about stuff." She thinks we have a tendency to rush things and feed children information rather than let them discover answers for themselves. Ideally, she adds, we want our kids to be "thinkers" rather than "followers".

Like our hero of the day, Dame Caroline Haslett, Ben Weaver is also an electrical engineer. He is helping out today – and his daughter Robin five, has attended three of Isla's previous workshops. It's part of his role as a STEM ambassador, encouraging young people into science and engineering.

He said: "Primarily for Robin, it is a fun-filled day – she didn't want to come home after the last one!"

As for Isla and Lola – apparently there has been a change in career aspirations of late. Lola, aged 11, spent some time in hospital this year and now has a new ambition. "I want to be a doctor," she says with a big, confident smile.

Workshop dates

Isla will be running more workshops over the school holidays including:

Saturday, December 22, from 10am-1pm, Sweet Inventors Day, York Cocoa Works

Wednesday, January 2, from 8.30am-5pm, Fabulous Flight Workshop, Scarcroft Primary School, York

Thursday, January 3, from 8.30am-5pm, Playing with Printmaking Workshop, Scarcroft Primary School, York

Friday, January 4, from 8.30am-5pm, Exciting Electronics Workshop, Scarcroft Primary School, York

For more information, including course description, prices and sibling discount rates visit @weareingenues on Facebook and the website ingenues.co.uk