Regardless of the unfamiliar
reversal of the gender gap in educational accomplishment and the near gender
parity in math performance, women still pursue mathematics, engineering,
technology, and science degrees at much lower rates than those of their male
peers. Existing explanations of this persisting pattern of gender differences
focus on mathematical abilities, beliefs related to gendered expectations about
appropriate jobs, considerations about work-family balance, and self-assessment
of career-relevant responsibilities. Our exploration extends this work and
focuses on the role of the college context for the gender gap in mathematics,
engineering, technology, and science fields. Are the initial college years are
an important period in which students develop an interest in a science,
engineering, and mathematics career? If so, could college interferences be
effective in attracting students to these fields and in closing the gender gap?
We track student’s alignment towards mathematics, engineering, technology, and
science fields from elementary school to college. Our findings confirm preceding
research that highlights the importance of early encouragement for gender
differences in mathematics, engineering, technology, and science degrees, but
our findings also attest to the primary college years as an influential period
for the gender gap, while challenging the focus on college and universities in
research and policy. Indeed, if female college seniors had the same alignment
toward and preparation for mathematics, engineering, technology, and science
fields as their male peers, the gender gap in sciences degrees would be closed
by as much as 82 percent. Conclusions further show large variations between
colleges in the ability to attract students to mathematics, engineering,
technology, and science fields conditional on their pre-college interest in
mathematics, engineering, technology, and science fields. Colleges that are
successful in attracting students to these fields reduce the gender gap by 25
percent or more. As a first step toward understanding what matters about
college, we then determine that the curriculum in mathematics, engineering,
technology, and science and gender discrimination of extracurricular activities
are two concrete and amenable college characteristics that influence the gender
gap.
From a strategy perspective, conclusions point to important directions for
research about concrete interventions. Examination of variations across contexts
shows that the local context in college plays an important role for the gender
gap in orientations toward mathematics, engineering, technology, and science
fields. As such, our findings not only point at the life course period that
should be embattled by strategy involvements but also provides evidence that
college interferences might be actual. In light of recent exploration asserting
only a temporary effect from exposure to head start programs or to individual
above-average teachers, it is of considerable importance that the effects of the
college environment on the formation of mathematics, engineering, technology,
and science orientations appear to be durable. Few prevailing involvements have
indeed targeted college students and shown success in promoting a mathematics,
engineering, technology, and science degrees orientation among girls. While such
strategy mediations have to tolerate the serious scrutiny of experimental field
trials, Findings College encourage scholars and legislators alike to take
seriously the potential impact of college interventions on girls' mathematics,
engineering, technology, and science degrees orientations. Our conclusion that
more intense math and science curricula and less gender segregation in
extracurricular reduce the gender gap in science orientation strongly supports
this conclusion.