The Gender Gap in STEM Fields: The Impact of the Gender Stereotype of Math and Science on Secondary Students' Career Aspirations
University of Basel · Swiss Federal University for Vocational Education and Training SFUVET · +1 more institution
Abstract
Studies have repeatedly reported that math and science are perceived as male domains, and scientists as predominantly male. However, the impact of the gender image of school science subjects on young people’s career choice has not yet been analyzed. This paper investigates the impact of the masculinity image of three school subjects – chemistry, mathematics and physics – on secondary students’ career aspirations in STEM fields. The data originated from a cross-sectional study among 1’364 Swiss secondary school students who were close to obtaining their matriculation diploma. By means of a standardized survey, data on students’ perception of masculinity of science school subjects were collected using semantic…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 54.23
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 58
Authors
3Topics & keywords
- Gender gap
- Stereotype (UML)
- Stereotype threat
- Psychology
- Mathematics education
- Gender bias
- Social psychology
- Demographic economics
- Quality Education