Communications of the ACM
Fewer Women Pursue Jobs in Science Because They Have More Career Options
Fewer women may be entering STEM careers because they have greater career options, rather than a dearth of ability in the STEM disciplines.
Credit: Michigan Women's Hall of Fame
New research examines whether math and verbal ability might play a role in the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers.
Working with colleagues at the University of Michigan, a team from the University of Pittsburgh reports that greater career options are more of a factor than less ability in math and science.
The researchers examined data from 1,490 college-bound U.S. students drawn from a national longitudinal study, who were surveyed in 12th grade and again at 33 years old, with data on several factors highlighted, such as their SAT score, motivational beliefs and values, and occupation.
Students with high verbal abilities--a group that contained more women than men--were less likely to have chosen a STEM occupation than those who had moderate verbal abilities, says Pittsburgh professor Ming-Te Wang. Meanwhile, participants who were more confident in their math abilities were more likely to end up in STEM-related jobs.
The findings suggest "educators and policy makers may consider shifting the focus from trying to strengthen girls' STEM-related abilities to trying to tap the potential of these girls who are equally skilled in both mathematics and verbal domains," Wang says.
From University of Pittsburgh News
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