Blog Post
by Caroline Post & Katie Soucy
Through our research, we have confirmed that a gender gap does exist in STEM education. Women make up about half of the labor force in the United States, however, they hold less than 25% of STEM jobs (Beede et al., 2011). As you may expect after hearing that statistic, women hold a disproportionately low share of undergraduate STEM degrees (Beede et al., 2011). Even women with an undergraduate STEM degree are less likely than their male counterparts to work in the STEM field (Beede et al., 2011). In recent years, women have surpassed men in the number of bachelor’s degrees earned, however, the number of women holding STEM degrees remains low. This suggests that part of the problem lies in the educational system. Through our research, we have learned that girls shy away from competitive environments (like STEM classes) much more than their male counterparts (Niederle & Vesterlund, 2011).
Based off of our research, we believe policies reducing competition and increasing single-sex classroom opportunities could improve the issues we have described. For example, college STEM courses could give tests with ID numbers instead of a name (to hide gender) on them so that students do not feel they are competing with the other gender when the professor is grading. Also, requiring science and math classes to offer single-sex classroom options at the secondary-level in school could help improve these issues based on some of our research findings.
Without intervention, gender differences in STEM education will continue to exist, causing women to be underrepresented in STEM classes and STEM occupations. As a consequence, inequality in these classes, majors, and fields will persist. Further, certain STEM occupations (doctors, engineers, etc.) are commonly high-paid in comparison to other fields. If women continue to be underrepresented in STEM education and occupations, the current gender wage gap may be perpetuated.
This issue impacts us on a personal level in many different ways. For example, one of us went to an all-girls school, which relates directly to our research. On the other hand, the other went to a private co-education school. Our high-school experiences have impacted both of us in many different ways. One of us did not face sexist challenges in our classes, for example, competing with other males, whereas the other was in a competitive environment with other men in high school.
Through our research, we learned about many factors that alter women in higher roles, more competitive firms, and getting higher pay. Learning about all these factors will help be aware of them in our future careers and within different companies. The research also suggests that we create more outlets for women pursuing STEM-related fields. Our research shows that people aren’t purposefully going out of their way to put women down in related fields; instead, firms need more policies and implications regarding gender differences.
Two research questions of interest based on the patterns/issues observed are:
Teachers and parents frequently undervalue girls’ math skills, resulting in low self-esteem and low personal aspirations. How do we train parents, educators, and society to stop underestimating women?
If money is an issue, do parents prefer sending their sons to private all boys schools over their daughters because of getting their utility back? What child would they / do they prioritize?
Infographic
Sources
Beede, D. N., Julian, T. A., Langdon, D., McKittrick, G., Khan, B., & Doms, M. E. (2011). Women in STEM: A gender gap to innovation. Economics and Statistics Administration Issue Brief, (04-11).
Booth, A. L., Cardona-Sosa, L., & Nolen, P. (2018). Do single-sex classes affect academic achievement? An experiment in a coeducational university. Journal of Public Economics, 168, 109-126.
Koniewski, M., & Hawrot, A. (2021). Are single-sex schools more effective than the coed ones? The effect of single-sex schooling on achievement among female adolescents in Catholic schools. Research Papers in Education, 1-22.
Niederle, M., & Vesterlund, L. (2011). Gender and competition. Annual Review of Economics, 3(1), 601-630.
Park, H., Behrman, J. R., & Choi, J. (2018). Do single-sex schools enhance students’ STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) outcomes?. Economics of Education Review, 62, 35-47.