Factors Impacting Gender & Racial Gaps in STEAM
An initial review of research suggests at least six key factors influence gender differences in STEM and STEAM education.
- Confidence - Girls’ overall confidence begins to decline after 14 years old, and their confidence in math/science dips as early as third grade.. Tween girls and boys are equally likely to believe they will succeed in STEM. However, as they enter their teen years, boys gain more confidence that they will be successful in STEM, while girls remain at low levels.
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Gender Stereotypes - Persistent, subconscious images of male mathematicians and scientists that start at the earliest ages may be one explanation why girls enter STEM fields at dramatically lower rates than boys.
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Access, Experiences, & Pathways to STEM Careers - Early STEM school experiences are critical for students to develop initial interest in STEM. From these new data, we can also conclude that STEM experiences at progressive levels of education can influence students to continue their pursuit of the field or leave it, but there is no single experience that plays a significant role for everyone. Project-based instruction generally draws in more people to STEM fields because it addresses problems that people see as relevant. A 2008 study from the National Academy of Engineering asked people if they wanted to be engineers. Girls were twice as likely as boys to say no, but when asked if they would like to design a safe water system, save the rainforest, or use DNA to solve crimes, the girls answered yes.
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Impact of teachers - Teachers often harbor biases about themselves. Elementary teachers are predominantly female, and many are anxious about teaching math, which can lead to lower achievement in math for girls. Jo Boaler recommends that female teachers avoid phrases that imply their discomfort or dislike of math – like “I’m bad at math” or “This is hard.” Given that females more frequently cite teachers, peers, and mentors as important to the triggering and maintenance of their STEM interests, interventions to increase the representation of females in STEM should focus on educating teachers and other possible mentors about the value of their relationships with females.
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Family Habitus - Family science habitus includes the dispositions and behaviors a family holds regarding science. Research suggests these dispositions influence a family’s beliefs about science as well as how and whether they choose to engage with science. Families with the strongest science interests and orientations were most likely to be middle class (and White/South Asian). These families enjoyed not only access to high-quality science-related resources/capital but also engaged in family practices that could support and “grow” their children’s potential interest/aspirations. For many working-class children, the configuration of family habitus and the unequal distribution of capital within society combine to render science more of an “unknown” and “unthinkable” option.
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Impact of Regional/Societal Wealth - In affluent, highly-educated and predominantly white districts, boys outperformed girls in math. In poorer, more racially diverse districts, girls often outdid boys in math. It may be easier for parents to reinforce stereotypical patterns in affluent places because they have more money to do so. In less affluent places, parents can't spend the same kind of money and, therefore, may not reinforce those patterns as much.
Additional research and resources can be viewed HERE.