Trailblazing Without Feminists? Gendered Expectations of "Major Minorities" on a Conservative Campus

• In Event: 75.056 - STEM Education and Society

Abstract

Generally, the process of selecting a major is gendered on college campuses, but what factors help explain why women choose male-dominated majors and men choose female-dominated majors? Selecting a highly conservative, religious university in the Intermountain West, we surveyed over 3,000 students and conducted over 50 interviews. With this unique sample, we find that both men and women hold traditional gender roles regardless of major and that men and women in the same majors have markedly different goals for their degrees. Findings suggest that women’s representation in more male dominated majors may do little for minimizing the gender gap in subsequent STEM professions without significant restructuring of college major experience for both men and women.

Authors

• Benjamin G. Gibbs, Brigham Young University

• Jacob Mortensen, Brigham Young University

• Ian G Peacock, Brigham Young University

• Martha Shepard, Brigham Young University