GENDER DIFFERENCES IN ENGINEERING STUDETNS’ CHOICE OF STUDIES

Abstract

The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) sector is gender biased throughout, in schools, workplaces and academia. The development for gender equality is slow and stereotypes are still male dominated in STEM. The situation is complicated with many influencing factors that have been studied and dealt with for the last decades. To decide what education or training to achieve is among the most important decision in young peoples´ lives. The trend is that more males go for STEM studies while females go for subjects like education, health sciences and social sciences. It is important for engineering as a profession not only to attract both genders, but also to get a better understanding of the influencing factors when young persons are deciding what subject to select for their life. This paper presents an overview of the findings from a study focusing on gender differences in engineering students’ choice of studies and discusses some ideas of what educators can do to change the situation. This topic touches on CDIO Standard 1 (program philosophy), 7 and 8 (new methods of teaching and learning).