Gender imbalances in STEM career choice

Abstract

Despite their academic success, women remain underrepresented in STEM studies, espe-cially in Engineering and Technologies. From a descriptive-interpretive approach, a multiple-case study was conducted to analyze the career choice during High School, and to deepen understanding on ste¬reotypes and self-efficacy. Taken from in depth-interviews and focus groups, 89 speeches were collected in order to analyze the perceptions of high school students, their teachers, their parents, and female university students studying STEM, delving into the understanding of individual, academic-professional and contextual elements influencing choice of studies. The self-efficacy reported by the girls was always positive, and no clear gender differences were seen in students’ interests and motivations. However, a disparity was perceived between girls’ spoken declarations and the final decision taken. A dynamic con¬ception of self-efficacy is proposed, along with suggestions for different actors and ambits of socialization oriented towards the construction of new models and identities of young students.