Breaking gender barriers in STEM education for achieving the SDG of quality education in Bangladesh

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper explores the under-representation of women in STEM education in Bangladesh, and proposes ways to boost their participation to help achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of ensuring quality education for all. The key argument of this paper is that while celebrating Bangladesh’s success in reducing the gender gap in primary and secondary education, the persistent gap between women’s participation in general education and their representation in STEM subjects receives less attention. Although women students’ enrolment at the tertiary level has increased, their representation in STEM fields remains low for various reasons – societal perceptions, inadequate infrastructure, prejudice, etc. While Bangladesh has taken steps to promote gender equality in education, measures directly targeting increased participation of women in STEM education are lacking. However, in addition to implementing institutional policies to increase women's participation in STEM education, the paper recommends tackling the socio-cultural obstacles that discourage women from doing so.