Understanding Why Women Don't Choose Engineering Degrees

Autor/inn/en	Salas-Morera, Lorenzo; Ruiz-Bustos, Rocío; Cejas-Molina, María Antonia; Olivares-Olmedilla, José L.; García-Hernández, Laura; Palomo-Romero, Juan M.
Titel	Understanding Why Women Don't Choose Engineering Degrees
Quelle	In: International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 31 (2021) 2, S.325-338 (14 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Salas-Morera, Lorenzo)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0957 7572
DOI	10.1007/s10798-019-09550-4
Schlagwörter	Engineering Education; Academic Degrees; Course Selection (Students); Females; Disproportionate Representation; Barriers; Science Projects; Misconceptions; Professional Identity; High School Seniors; College Freshmen; Student Attitudes; Gender Issues + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ingenieurausbildung; Degree; Degrees; Academic level graduation; Akademischer Grad; Hochschulabschluss; Course selection; Student; Students; Kurswahl; Weibliches Geschlecht; Science; Project; Wissenschaft; Projekt; Missverständnis; Studienanfänger; Schülerverhalten; Geschlechterfrage
Abstract	Despite the continuous efforts of governments and universities to avoid the underrepresentation of women entering engineering degrees, the trend has not reverted, and this is a general fact all over the world. This fact goes against the tendency of a growing ratio of women in tertiary education, so causes must be investigated. This research examines two main questions: Is it possible to break the invisible barriers that prevent girls from entering in engineering degrees by means of an engineering project or activity? And are there important misconceptions about the role of women in engineering professions and about engineering itself among high school girls? An extensive survey has been carried out between three groups of students: students of the last years of high school (834), students of the first year of engineering degrees (319), and students of the first year of sciences degrees (209). A set of visits to the high schools was developed and a contest of engineering projects was carried out too. The results show that there are important misconceptions in the knowledge that high school students have about engineering degrees and engineering. The visits and the project contest had a good impact that encouraged girls to take engineering activities in their curricula. The main finding is that even though girls see engineering professions as very well valued, they are convinced that engineering is not a profession for women, which suggests that there are educational barriers acquired during earlier stages of their lives. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01