Gender Representation and Academic Achievement Among STEM-Interested Students in College STEM Courses

• In Event: STEM Student Success

Abstract

Substantial gender equity gaps in postsecondary degree completion persist within many STEM disciplines. Various explanations of this phenomenon have been offered; one possibility that has received limited attention is that the sparse representation of women itself has adverse effects on the grades—and ultimately persistence and graduation—of women who take STEM courses. This study examined two forms of gender representation (the proportion of female students within a course and the presence of a female instructor) within a sample of 15,300 STEM-interested undergraduates taking 9,511 STEM courses at 20 institutions. Female student representation predicted higher STEM grades for all students; moreover, female students also generally benefitted more than male students from female student representation and from having a female instructor.

Authors

• Nicholas A. Bowman, University of Iowa

• Christine Logel, University of Waterloo

• Jennifer LaCosse, Indiana University

• Lindsay Jarratt, University of Iowa

• Elizabeth A. Canning, Washington State University

• Katherine Emerson, Indiana University

• Mary C. Murphy, Indiana University