Tracing Structural Inequalities in STEM: A Longitudinal Survival Analysis of Gendered and Stratified Higher Education Pathways (2008–2024)

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 4:15 pm - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: STEM, Motivation, and Pathways

Abstract

This study analyzes how structural inequalities—particularly gender, institutional stratification, and financial access—shape students’ trajectories in STEM fields in Chile. Drawing on administrative data from 2008 to 2024, it reconstructs complete pathways from secondary to postgraduate education. The analysis employs survival models (Kaplan–Meier, Cox, discrete-time hazard) to examine how gender, school background, financial aid, and field of study interact to influence access, persistence, and course completion. Findings reveal that the most significant exclusion occurs at the point of entry, not through progressive attrition, challenging the "leaky pipeline" metaphor. By foregrounding systemic filters and contextual inequities, this study contributes to international debates on gender, STEM participation, and higher-education policy from a Global South perspective.

Author

• Francisca Beroíza Valenzuela, Centro de Estudios de Conflicto y Cohesión Social (COES)