Analysis of barriers, supports and gender gap in the choice of STEM studies in secondary education

Abstract

Society is more digitised than ever and there is an urgent need to train people in these sectors, where women are still under-represented. A quantitative descriptive, correlational and explanatory descriptive design was used to identify barriers, supports and gender gaps in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Secondary Education by analysing the interest and perception of 1562 students and 432 teachers. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square and Lambda test and Crame’s V or Phi test were performed together with a qualitative analysis. The results show that fewer female students want to pursue STEM studies, with girls preferring health and education professions and boys preferring engineering and computer science. Indeed, their motivation is different since we found correlations between being a girl and choosing STEM for helping people and society, while earning money is important for boys. Girls believe more necessary than boys to have qualities to study STEM and less often perceive themselves as intelligent and courageous. Our study revealed that families and teachers encourage more boys than girls towards STEM activities. Teachers believe that girls are influence by preconceived ideas, lack of STEM knowledge and lower self-esteem. Regarding gender equality, almost half state that no objectives are included in the curricula, 43.85% do not include it in subjects and only 30% received training. Consequently, female vocations need to be promoted by teaching how STEM solves real-life problems, fostering creativity, increasing self-confidence, promoting STEM activities and making female role models visible. Teachers should receive more gender training and promote gender-sensitive STEM education.

Including gender dimension in operations management teaching

“…In Calvo, Epifanio, Estrade and Mas de les Valls (2022) a revision is exposed on gendered stereotypes in Engineering, Physics and Mathematics within the Spanish context. The individual and object-oriented work without a focus on its final benefit for the society is the dominant stereotype in Engineering, coinciding with the findings reported by Merayo and Ayuso (2022). In Sáinz et al (2020) it is found that social utility values associated with the STEM field and educators' encouragement where predominant factors for women compared to personal values and the role of family tradition and mass media for men.…”

“…The cause of the lack of female students' enrolment in STEM degrees has been extensively studied. It is widely accepted that a multiplicity of constrains influence on the female students' enrolment decision, including the perception of a lesser ability in maths and ICT, a lower self-concept compared to their male counterparts, persistent gendered stereotypes in the society and the lack of female outstanding personalities, among others (Wang & Degol 2017, Sáinz, Fàbregues, Rodó-de-Zárate, Martínez-Cantos, Arroyo & Romano, 2020, Fernández-García, Torío-López, García-Pérez & Inda-Caro, 2019, Merayo & Ayuso 2022. In Calvo, Epifanio, Estrade and Mas de les Valls (2022) a revision is exposed on gendered stereotypes in Engineering, Physics and Mathematics within the Spanish context.…”

Spirituality-based action competence for sustainability among prospective biology teacher in Indonesia

“…When the educational setting promotes gender equality in terms of learning opportunities and the development of practical skills, both male and female students possess an equal capacity to cultivate ACS. (Aldraiweesh & Alturki, 2023;De Prada et al, 2022;Guo et al, 2023;Hanisch & Eirdosh, 2023;Merayo & Ayuso, 2023;Qi et al, 2023;Tabassum & Nayak, 2021;Taylor, 2017;Zvavahera et al, 2023). Social, cultural, and value factors that change over time may also play a role in reducing gender differences in the development of action competencies in higher education institutions (Andersen & Smith, 2022;Balducci, 2023;Lundberg, 2020).…”

Feminization of the precarious at the UNAM: examining obstacles to gender equality

“…Since the STEM sector is expected to generate the highest demands for labor, 45% in 2022 5 and given that many institutions, companies, and organizations affirm that 'the future lies in digitally boosting the world's economies' 2 , there is a clear convergence between socioeconomic status and the gender gap in these disciplines.…”