STEM Education
The issue of the gender gap in STEM. Evidence-informed intervention proposals
The number of women in certain STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) professions or university studies is limited. In this analysis, carried out on the basis of PISA data and facts garnered by international research, certain clues can be seen as to what can be done to solve this gender gap in STEM vocations during secondary education in Spain.
By Francisco López Rupérez
The issue of the gender gap in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) has come into the Spanish public debate more frequently over the past decade. This fact is by no means separate from certain aspects of the evolution of the context, in particular, those of an economic nature.
One of the factors that has contributed to putting the gender gap in STEM at the centre of the debate and to occupy important spaces in the media and in the general press, has to do with the irruption of the "Fourth industrial revolution" and its derivatives. Klaus Schwab, President of the World Economic Forum, during the Forum's 2016 annual meeting, defined this concept in the following terms: "Revolutionary advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, the internet of things, 3D printing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials science, energy storage and quantum computing are redefining entire industries and creating new ones from scratch. At the World Economic Forum, we call this wave of innovation the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution' because it fundamentally changes the way we live, work and interact."
The obvious economic implications of this deep and extensive technological disruption, which affects the competitiveness of countries in a global framework, job creation and their level of productivity, have taken this debate, on the gender gap in STEM, to the field of optimising talent allocation procedures. For example, if according to the Observatory for Engineering in Spain, the percentage of women who work in this profession stands at 20%, this means that there is extensive theoretical work, or potential, when it comes to getting more female talent involved in a productive sector capable of contributing, to a greater extent, to the economy of the 21st century.
International research has shown that, in terms of STEM, the gender gap in less developed countries is either less notable, or simply does not exist. This has been attributed to the "quality of life pressures" linked to the higher salaries from which these professions benefit. In the case of Spain, this incentive is not guaranteed, meaning that girls can choose non-STEM alternatives based on their own interests and self-perceived strengths, without the salary constituting a particularly important differential stimulus. Therefore, we face the result of individual decisions of Spanish women based, in part, on vocational criteria, personal preferences, or even calculations as regards the effort/benefit ratio.
Having come to this point, it is worth asking, how to proceed, then, to reduce this gender gap, broadly respecting the freedom of choice of girls and without this penalising boys? Below, we will address this question from an empirical perspective and in terms of the teaching of sciences at school.
As part of a broader study, developed by the Chair of Educational Policies of the Camilo José Cela University, based on analyses carried out on the PISA 2015 database, worth particular note, as a starting point, are facts garnered from international research that, together with the evidence generated by our study, can provide certain clues. Thus, for example, it has been found that confidence in self-efficacy has a greater influence on STEM performance in women than in men; or that female students, with equal grades in mathematics, are significantly less likely than male students to recognise that they are "good at maths"; or that more student-centred teaching benefits girls more than boys; or that peer support, in terms of school learning, has a greater effect on girls than on boys.
Our research also provided three main elements of empirical diagnosis: a) The existence of a smaller gender gap, in terms of performance in Science, once the effect of socioeconomic and cultural level has been controlled, which, however, remains relevant in terms of professional expectations when it comes to STEM occupations. b) The link between STEM professional expectations and high performance in Science, which must be systematically higher among girls than boys. c) The different intensity of the relationship between gender and performance depending on region in Spain.
When both sources of evidence are combines, it is possible to come up with a series of recommendations compatible with the empirical base as a whole. These recommendations, especially applicable to secondary education in Spain, can be seen below: a) Approach science education in such a way as to facilitate learning for mastery, the impact of which on school performance is well known, which could improve, particularly in girls, results and, therefore, their STEM professional expectations. b) Promote situations of personalised scientific learning, that girls seem to get more out of than boys. c) Rigorously promote cooperative work that facilitates interaction between peers (peer effect) and its positive effects on girls.
One of the challenges facing the education of the future is, therefore, to ensure that STEM subjects are amongst the academic strengths of girls, which is possible if, leaving mere rhetoric behind, actions are taken to achieve this objective.
Related Content