the underrepresentation of women in STEM Research Papers

Despite recent improvements in expanding access to STEM education in the world, many countries, including Mexico, are concerned about gender disparity in STEM studies and careers. Gender-based discrimination, social and cultural norms,... more

This study investigated the persistence of undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors through two-factor theory. Proxies for STEM persistence factors were used as hygiene and motivator... more

were examined before and after the intervention. Results indicate significant differences between pre-and post-test scores in the intervention group. This may suggest a change in insight, which could lead to the establishment of more... more

According to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) data (2019), <30% of researchers worldwide are women. Long-standing biases and gender stereotypes are discouraging girls and women away from science-related fields. In particular, STEM... more

According to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) data (2019), <30% of researchers worldwide are women. Long-standing biases and gender stereotypes are discouraging girls and women away from science-related fields. In particular, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) research is traditionally male dominated and women remain underrepresented. As UNESCO has highlighted, both science and gender equality are, however, essential to ensuring sustainable development. To change traditional mindsets, gender equality must be promoted, stereotypes defeated, and girls and women should be encouraged to pursue careers in STEM. Throughout history, the contributions of female researchers to scientific progress have been extremely important. Yet, whereas the extraordinarily talented Nobel laureate Marie Skłodowska-Curie is often mentioned as a role model, it is nowadays well-established that countless women such as Lise Meitner have received less recognition and acknowledgment for their research findings than their male counterparts [so-called Matilda effect (Rossiter, 1993)]. Also, women traditionally publish less than men according to the European Commission She Figures, the ratio of women to men among authors of scientific publications in the EU being on the average one to two (European Union, 2019), and recent surveys are highlighting a further drop in academic submissions from female scientists since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic early 2020. Role models are definitely extremely important to show to younger generations the growing impact of female researchers to science. Therefore, continuing the spirit of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Frontiers in Materials is proud to offer this platform to promote the work of female scientists across the breadth of materials science and engineering. This inaugural "Women in Science: Materials" collection (Figure 1) aims to highlight the impact of women researchers working in materials science and engineering. It gathers a selection of original articles with the lead author and/or corresponding author being a woman. A total of 32 contributions (three reviews, one brief research report, and 28 original research articles) present advances in theory, experiment, and methodology with applications to compelling problems, across almost all sections of the journal. The Guest Editorial team hope that this collection of papers will be the foundation of an international network of women researchers working in materials science and engineering, and a starting point for future collaborations and discussions.

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- by Patricia Krawczak and +1
  Ming Xu
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- 14
  Materials Engineering, Materials Science, Gender Equality, Materials Science and Engineering

The purpose of this study was to examine the underrepresentation of students in STEM programs at a midsize, regional, masters granting, comprehensive university in East Texas, Thomas J. Rusk University, coming from Title 1 schools... more

Profile of University of Chicago professor, Hsiao-Wen Chen.

As a collaborative initiative of Women in Global Science and Technology (WISAT), the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), the Elsevier Foundation, and GenderInSITE (Gender in science, innovation, technology... more

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- by Judith Zubieta and +1
  Mónica Herzig U . S . Zürcher
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- 3
  Gender Studies, Mexico, the underrepresentation of women in STEM

That philosophy is an outlier in the humanities when it comes to the underrepresentation of women has been the occasion for much discussion about possible effects of subtle forms of prejudice, including implicit bias and stereotype... more

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- by Sean Allen-Hermanson
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- 12
  Social Psychology, Philosophy, Sex and Gender, Social Sciences

STUDY OBJECTIVE Women and students underrepresented in medicine are less likely to apply for residency in emergency medicine. The latter are from racial or ethnic populations that are underrepresented as physicians relative to the general... more

STUDY OBJECTIVE Women and students underrepresented in medicine are less likely to apply for residency in emergency medicine. The latter are from racial or ethnic populations that are underrepresented as physicians relative to the general population. The factors that result in lower application rates from women and groups underrepresented in medicine are inadequately described in the literature. This study's objective was to test whether female students and those underrepresented in medicine have lower interest in emergency medicine even after controlling for academic ability, student indebtedness, and common career values consistent with emergency medicine career interest. METHODS Secondary data analyses were conducted on a cross section of all residency applicants from 2005 to 2010. Data sources included American Medical College Application Service, the Electronic Residency Application Service, and the Graduating Questionnaire. Data linkage was by the Association of American Medical Colleges and provided deidentified to the authors. A binary logistic regression model was fitted with the outcome variable planned career into emergency medicine versus another specialty on the Graduating Questionnaire. The binary logistic regression model independent variables included demographics, student attitudes, debt, grade point average, standardized tests, and medical school experiences. RESULTS The binary logistic regression model included 17,067 individuals. Being a woman (odds ratio 0.75) and from a background underrepresented in medicine (odds ratio 0.68) independently correlated with lower emergency medicine interest. Age, medical debt, importance of work-life balance, confidence in specialty choice, and plan to care for underserved populations were positively associated with emergency medicine interest. Importance of specialty competitiveness and importance of mentorship advice were correlated with lower emergency medicine interest. CONCLUSION Female medical students and those underrepresented in medicine were less likely to plan for a career in emergency medicine. This correlation remained significant even when other previously identified factors that have predicted a career in emergency medicine were controlled for.

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- by John Burkhardt
- •
- 11
  Emergency Medicine, Diversity, Medical Education, Medicine

The concepts and topics of manufacturing systems design and analysis are usually taught using traditional lecturing, in-class problem solving, and project-based approaches. These concepts are not easy to grasp and can be tedious when... more

were examined before and after the intervention. Results indicate significant differences between pre-and post-test scores in the intervention group. This may suggest a change in insight, which could lead to the establishment of more... more

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were examined before and after the intervention. Results indicate significant differences between pre-and post-test scores in the intervention group. This may suggest a change in insight, which could lead to the establishment of more... more

Bookmark

Scholars have long argued there is systemic injustice within higher education, particularly with regards to ethnic and gender disparity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education (Race, 2005; Rollock and... more

Scholars have long argued there is systemic injustice within higher education, particularly with regards to ethnic and gender disparity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education (Race, 2005; Rollock and Gillborn, 2011; Singh, 2011; Gillborn et al., 2016; Arday and Mirza, 2018; Bhopal and Henderson, 2019a; Advance HE, 2021a). In the UK, 35% of STEM students are female, but STEM disciplines are not innocent of bias and a females’ ethnic background poses another hindrance to their academic and career trajectories (Bosworth and Kersley, 2015). Existing studies have highlighted institutional bias towards White male students and applicants, and it is undeniable that there is a myriad of gendered and racial biases, especially in the physical sciences. Using data collected over a two-year period, 69 qualitative interviews were coded and analysed from an England-based University to gain further insights and add to existing literature concerning racism and sexism in STEM degrees. This article argues that the UK is currently experiencing the ‘height of capitalism’, where the value of labour is considerably disproportionate. This can act as a demoralizing force against inclusivity within STEM disciplines. The race and gender gaps, particularly in terms of attainment, are two of the most significant avenues where we see the value of labour diminished, and capitalism pronounced. In addition to racial and gender biases, institutionalised racism and systemic injustices embedded within the higher education system has doubled, if not more, the burdens and barriers women and ethnic minorities in STEM face (Jones, 2019). This paper is not a crusade against corporations, but an investigation into the intersectionality of gender and race in relation to opportunity discrepancy and attainment, to better understand why large discrepancies in inclusivity is more pronounced in STEM disciplines and professions. The research explores the themes of microaggression as a possible explanation for attainment gaps, attitudes towards affirmative action and positive discrimination and the policy’s attempt in mediating systemic injustices through representation, and introspectively unpacks its effects on students’ potential career opportunities in the capitalist labour market.

Study objective: Women and students underrepresented in medicine are less likely to apply for residency in emergency medicine. The latter are from racial or ethnic populations that are underrepresented as physicians relative to the... more

Study objective: Women and students underrepresented in medicine are less likely to apply for residency in emergency medicine.
The latter are from racial or ethnic populations that are underrepresented as physicians relative to the general population. The
factors that result in lower application rates from women and groups underrepresented in medicine are inadequately described in
the literature. This study's objective was to test whether female students and those underrepresented in medicine have lower
interest in emergency medicine even after controlling for academic ability, student indebtedness, and common career values
consistent with emergency medicine career interest.
Methods: Secondary data analyses were conducted on a cross section of all residency applicants from 2005 to 2010. Data
sources included American Medical College Application Service, the Electronic Residency Application Service, and the Graduating
Questionnaire. Data linkage was by the Association of American Medical Colleges and provided deidentified to the authors. A
binary logistic regression model was fitted with the outcome variable planned career into emergency medicine versus another
specialty on the Graduating Questionnaire. The binary logistic regression model independent variables included demographics,
student attitudes, debt, grade point average, standardized tests, and medical school experiences.
Results: The binary logistic regression model included 17,067 individuals. Being a woman (odds ratio 0.75) and from a
background underrepresented in medicine (odds ratio 0.68) independently correlated with lower emergency medicine interest.
Age, medical debt, importance of work-life balance, confidence in specialty choice, and plan to care for underserved populations
were positively associated with emergency medicine interest. Importance of specialty competitiveness and importance of
mentorship advice were correlated with lower emergency medicine interest.
Conclusion: Female medical students and those underrepresented in medicine were less likely to plan for a career in emergency
medicine. This correlation remained significant even when other previously identified factors that have predicted a career in
emergency medicine were controlled for.

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- by John Burkhardt
- •
- 10
  Emergency Medicine, Diversity, Medical Education, Hidden Curriculum

the underrepresentation of women in STEM

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