The Implications of Gender, Achievement, and Attitudes in STEM Major Pathways

• In Event: 4451 - Section on Sociology of Education Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 min): Table 11: Determinants of STEM Attitudes and Choices

Abstract

Much has been written about how academic and attitudinal factors shape gender gaps in STEM participation; yet, a narrow focus on traditional STEM majors limits our understanding of how women and men’s pathways are shaped during college for the many students who change majors, often between related fields. We use data on approximately 7,560 four-year college undergraduates from the nationally representative High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 to longitudinally track STEM major pathways. In doing so, we distinguish between traditional STEM fields, STEM-adjacent fields in the social and health sciences, and non-STEM fields. Even adjusting for other characteristics of undergraduates and their colleges, we find that STEM major pathways are significantly differentiated by gender, end of high school STEM achievement and attitudes, and attitudes towards preferred occupational traits. And then, results from an innovative decomposition-mediation technique show that gender differences in STEM-major pathways are the complicated product of women’s higher value for science pursuits, lower math self-efficacy/identity, and the desire for a positive social impact. Ultimately, our findings suggest that, rather than dismissing departure from traditional STEM fields as a product of differences in academic preparedness and natural ability, college faculty must impart a counter narrative to the cultural messages youth experience throughout their life surrounding who belongs in, and who benefits from, math and science.

Authors

• Ned Tilbrook, Portland State University

• Sarah Kyte, University of Arizona

• Dara Shifrer, Portland State University