Gender and the Development of Belonging in STEM

• In Event: How to Create Environments of Belonging for Students: New Perspectives on School Belonging Research

Abstract

Sense of belonging is a critically important motivational belief that represents individuals’ sense of fit within an environment. However, many women report feeling a lower sense of belonging than men in STEM fields, which may perpetuate gender inequities. Girls’ lower sense of belonging in STEM may set them onto a trajectory in which they desire to pursue non-STEM college majors and careers. This review examines the development of gender differences in children and adolescents’ sense of belonging in STEM classes and fields, as well as how STEM belonging has been measured among children and adolescents. First, we review existing research on when, and for which fields, gender gaps in STEM belonging develop, including findings from a mega-analysis of N = 6,111 children and adolescents across five of our previous research studies. Next, we discuss experimental studies demonstrating causal influences on girls’ STEM belonging, including environmental cues, gender stereotypes, and gender representation. We also examine how intersectionality between gender and race/ethnicity may affect girls’ sense of belonging in STEM. Finally, we examine how sense of belonging fits into multiple theoretical frameworks that are often used in research to promote women’s representation in STEM fields, including situated expectancy-value theory, social cognitive theory, mindset theory, and social cognitive career theory. It is critically important for future research to extend these findings in ways that promote girls’ belonging and participation in STEM fields, especially the fields in which they are most underrepresented.

Authors

• Allison Master, University of Houston

• Khushboo S. Patel, University of Louisville

• Katherine Weltzien, University of Washington

• Shaila Sharmin, University of Houston