Two Perspectives on the Gender Gap in Computer Engineering: From Secondary School to Higher Education

María Teresa Alonso,María Teresa López Bonal,Hermenegilda Macià,Virginia Barba-Sánchez

doi:10.3390/su131810445

María Teresa Alonso, María Teresa López Bonal + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810445

Copy DOI

Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Sep 19, 2021
Citations: 5	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Castilla-La Mancha

Abstract

In a setting that prioritises the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), sustainable development cannot be achieved without the contribution of female talent. This paper is focused on studying the reasons for the gender gap and the offered strategies to reduce it. The debate on the reasons for the low enrolment rates of girls in technological degrees remains open in the literature. This study investigates the causes of why girls do not choose a computer engineering degree and makes a comparison between ex-ante (secondary school) and ex-post (higher education). Based on a survey of students from both secondary school (229) and higher education (171), a quantitative study on gender differences was performed. The chi-squared test was applied to compute the corresponding p-value. Gender significant differences concerning goals were found (such as, at secondary school, girls preferred to help people, whereas boys preferred to be rich or to have a lot of holidays), and degree preferences (secondary school girls showed great interest in degrees, such as psychology, criminology and medicine, while boys showed great interest in sports sciences and engineering). However, these differences cannot be attributed to the existence of gender stereotypes, to the poor social image of workers in that field, or to the goals to be achieved within this profession. Some proposals are offered to reduce the gap.

Highlights

In a setting that prioritises the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) [1], based on equitable and inclusive education (SDG4), gender equality (SDG5), inclusive employment (SDG8) and the promotion of innovation (SDG9), women globally constitute only 28% [2] of the workforce in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
There is no consensus in the specialised literature on the reasons for the existence and persistence of this gender gap: Some attribute it to the natural roles found in our gender identity [3]; others assume that the explanation could lie exclusively in cultural patterns [4], while others opt for an elective position that combines both approaches and is based on education [5]
We focus on analysing the existence of gender and generational differences in the answers and seek to analyse why girls lacked interest in studying computer engineering

Summary

Introduction

In a setting that prioritises the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) [1], based on equitable and inclusive education (SDG4), gender equality (SDG5), inclusive employment (SDG8) and the promotion of innovation (SDG9), women globally constitute only 28% [2] of the workforce in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Motivation can be a good predictor of the performance of a given action [6], according to the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) [7], training is a key aspect, and individuals’ choice of studies from adolescence will condition their future professional career. This perspective has been addressed in previous studies [8]; greater empirical evidence is still required [4], and this is the first contribution of this study.

Methods

Results

Conclusion