Although the academic results of girls and boys in science and mathematics are increasingly similar and even better in the case of girls, it does not lead to a greater participation of women in studies and jobs STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Women’s presence in these careers and studies is very uneven: there is a high participation of girls in health and biology related fields such as Medicine, Pharmacy, and Biological Sciences, and a shortage of women in careers and professions such as Physics, Electronic Engineering or Computer Sciences, which continues to show a lack of interest of many women in natural sciences and engineering professions.
The project “Young people’s gender biases about STEM-related studies and occupations across different stages of the lifecourse. What is myth and what is reality?” aims at exploring the factors that could explain a greater or lesser presence of women in STEM from the perception of different groups of young boys and girls. The research is based in a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies that tackle different moments of the life cycle related with the transition to adulthood: secondary education, higher education, and the early stages of joining STEM professions.
Start date: January 2016 – End date: December 2016
Project Coordinator: Milagros Sáinz, director of Gender and ICT.
Research team:
Funding body:
