Abstract
If one wants to close the gender gap in STEM, girls need to start STEM courses. The stereotypical socialization does not lead girls in the direction of science and technology. And although the influence of parents does decrease with age it is often still present in the initial choice of study. Therefore, this study explores the role of the parents on girls’ choice for a career in STEM. Qualitative individual semi-structured interviews with parents of girls in the last grade of primary education were conducted. Results show that specific characteristics of the parents can possibly have a positive influence on their children’s school career and choice for STEM.
Highlights
Several countries, including Belgium, are faced with a lack of students and skilled professionals in the STEMfield
We examined whether the educational level of the parents had an influence on whether or not girls chose a STEM course in secondary education
Concerning the father’s level of education, we found that the majority of the fathers from the girls who chose STEM did not attend higher education
Summary
Several countries, including Belgium, are faced with a lack of students and skilled professionals in the STEMfield This problem will become even more acute in the coming years, due to an increasing number of technicians, engineers, and scientists who will retire and need to be replaced. This shortage could hinder economic growth and the further development of the knowledge society (e.g., Van den Berghe and De Martelaere, 2012). Girls are already less interested in a future in STEM than boys, when they are just twelve years old (Denessen et al, 2015) This untapped potential talent is a waste on a personal, social, and economic level (Van den Hurk et al, 2019)
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