Gender Heteroglossia: University Experiences of Chinese Female Engineering Undergraduate Students

• In Event: Gendered and Sexual Norms in University Contexts: Experiences From Chinese Students

Abstract

Women’s underrepresentation in STEM is a global issue, and engineering is one of the disciplines with the largest gender gap in representation. The ‘leaky pipeline’ to engineering occupations begins from the transitionary period from university to work and the leakage tends to be severer for female students (Smith and Gayles, 2017). This study adds to current discussions on the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields, emphasizing the roles of gendered atmosphere among higher education institutions in constraining the persistence of female engineering undergraduate students in China.

Regarding gender structures, Francis (2012) provides a meticulous and inclusive illustration by extending ‘monoglossia’ and ‘heteroglossia’ to the domain of gender understanding. Gender monoglossia refers to the dominant binarized gender matrix and gender normativity, while gender heteroglossia describes multiple and fluid gender discourses. To ensure the hegemonic monoglossic gender system continues to reproduce itself, it tends to constrain and pathologise heteroglossic disruptions to monoglossia. Drawing on Francis’s theoretical concepts, this study regards female engineering students as gender heteroglossia, investigating how they negotiate with the dominating gender monoglossic atmosphere in engineering undergraduate programs in China. This study contributes to existing research by exploring how higher education institutions can become more engaging for female engineering students from a new theoretical perspective, and providing empirical evidence for applying western-based concepts into Global South contexts.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 female engineering newly-graduates from Chinese universities. Participants were asked questions regarding their university experiences, including classroom learning experiences, after-class engineering activity experience and social experiences. Thematic analysis is employed to identify potential themes and ideas that underpin the explicit data content. Themes were identified in a data-driven “bottom-up” way, as well as a “top-down” approach where we brought the theoretical lens of gender monoglossia and gender heteroglossia to bear on the analysis.

This study finds that being influenced by the gender segregation in classrooms, gendered assignment of practical tasks and gendered assessments in engineering programs at university, gender becomes a ‘regime of truth’ that conditions the way those female students see themselves in engineering. The persistence of female students participating in engineering as gender heteroglossia is largely supressed by the monoglossic gender system in engineering higher education institutions. They tend to perform in alignment with traditional masculine traits expected in Chinese engineering work, in order to better fit in the engineering environment. A diminished sense of belonging, self-efficacy and interest in engineering become the results of being a gender heteroglossia. The problematic practices and assessments in engineering higher education institutions not merely reflect how the patriarchal gender norms impact individuals and institutions, but also provide possible solutions regarding faculty development and assessment schemes to empower female students in resisting the gender monoglossia and increasing their engineering persistence.

Reference list
Francis, B. (2012). Gender monoglossia, gender heteroglossia: the potential of Bakhtin's work for re-conceptualising gender. Journal of gender studies, 21(1), 1-15.
Smith, K.N., & Gayles, J. G. (2017)“Setting Up for the Next Big Thing”: Undergraduate Women Engineering Students’ Postbaccalaureate Career Decisions. Journal of College Student Development, 58(8).

Authors

• Zeyi Liu, University College London - IOE

• Yuwei Xu, University of Nottingham