A Portrait of the Gender Gap in STEM: A Focus on Identity Formation Among Final-year Undergraduate Students in Tanzania
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Date
2021-12-01
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Journal of Education, Humanities and Sciences
Abstract
This study investigates whether male and female students differ with respect to their
STEM identity, and how female students negotiate between being female and being
students pursuing careers that are perceived as masculine. The study uses a sequential
explanatory mixed method design. A total of 749 final year STEM students from three
Tanzanian universities participated in a survey that investigated STEM identity using six
sub-scales: identity prominence, gender identity, stereotype endorsement, self-efficacy,
persistence intentions, and positive feedback. Also, 19 females were interviewed as a
follow-up exploration. Findings indicated a significant difference on stereotype
endorsement only, where males significantly held negative stereotypes about females’
abilities to succeed in STEM. However, there were a few variations across universities
and specific STEM programmes. Qualitatively, the findings indicated that as a result of
social and cultural constructions, meanings associated with some STEM careers such as
engineering were in conflict with meanings associated with being a woman.
Consequently, females in STEM must find a negotiating space by balancing the two
conflicting identities. Interestingly, females used different strategies such as deliberate
efforts to outperform males in examinations as a means to resist male domination in
STEM. Finally, the implications for policy and future research are discussed.
Description
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Keywords
gender, negative gender stereotypes, STEM identity, underrepresentation.