Interest Congruency of Female STEM Students Regarding Their Vocational Aspirations and Their Parents' Occupations

• In Event: 64.047 - Perspectives on Cultivating STEM Aspirations

Abstract

Although there are many efforts to increase the number of females in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), their participation rate stays low. This phenomenon may come from a stereotypical assignment of STEM as male domain that females are not interested in. Applying Holland’s theory of vocational choice, we focus on the question of what helps women to overcome this stereotype. Therefore, we analyze how far female STEM students’ vocational aspirations are congruent to their interests or their parents’ occupations. Considering the gender-specific stereotype we distinguish STEM fields with a low and a medium proportion of females. Females show the highest congruency between their interests and vocational aspirations. Females in low-proportion subjects also had a moderate congruency with their fathers’ occupations.

Authors

• Bernhard Matthias Ertl, Universität der Bundeswehr München

• Florian G. Hartmann, University of the Bundeswehr Munich