Analysis of factors influencing women's participation in engineering education: An improved fuzzy DEMATEL approach

Abstract

This study focuses on promoting women's participation in engineering education (WPEE), which is crucial for inclusive and innovative development in the engineering fields and key to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Due to the global shortage of women engineers, there is a need. to find effective ways to increase WPEE. This study aims to identify key factors that influence WPEE, which should be prioritized in policymaking. By adopting a three‐round Delphi survey and an improved fuzzy DEMATEL model, the findings reveal that the factors influencing WPEE are complex and multifaceted. Within the Chinese context, six factors, including hobbies and interest, employment expectation, parental occupation, incentive measures, social attitudes, and employment prospects, have been identified as key determinants of WPEE, exhibiting greater centrality and causality than others. This study not only provides empirical evidence from China but also introduces a novel approach to identifying key factors promoting WPEE, offering significant insights into global policy and practice.