A study by Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) academics, comparing women’s disparity in science research for five years in eight continental regions of the world, has identified four significant factors contributing to gender disparity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
“Extant research suggests that women actively seek bachelor’s and master’s degrees and even outnumber men at these levels, accounting for 53% of graduates, but their numbers decrease precipitously at the doctoral level. Furthermore, men account for 72% of the global pool of researchers, widening the gender gap even further,” the study explains.
Authored by MUT academics and researchers Dr Steven Msosa, a lecturer in the Department of Marketing; Dr Bheka Ntshangase, the acting-dean of Management Sciences; and Dr Courage Mlambo, a postdoctoral Fellow in the Faculty of Management Sciences, the study found that gender bias, family life, mentoring, and stereotyping as the main causes of gender disparity in the number of STEM researchers.
The study, which is titled Gender parity among researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, was recently published in the journal of Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues (Volume 9, Number 4). The study used data from a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) scientific report focusing on the five years from 2013 to 2017.
In terms of gender bias, the study found that half of the women in STEM careers reported having experienced gender-based discrimination in the form of “earning less than a man doing the same job”, “being treated as incompetent”, “experiencing repeated minor insults in the workplace”, along with “receiving less support from senior leaders than a man doing the same job”, explains the study.
For women STEM researchers, these challenges are coupled with having to work in a male-dominated profession and environment which is not women-friendly.
To cope with these challenges, women STEM researchers “…must be highly resilient in the face of gender-biased sentiments. At the same time, they must identify their place, submit themselves to predominantly masculine workplace culture, demonstrate strong performance dedication, and avoid uncomfortable situations,” the study explains.
In terms of family life, the study identified the absence of gender-sensitive policies as a greater contributor towards the lack of support for women to progress in STEM research. Furthermore, the lack of a gender-sensitive promotion system is also a barrier to women’s professional development.
“Many women who work in research must combine their careers with caring for their children,” the study states. “Having a solid support structure from their family has been critical for many women.”
The availability of role models and mentors adds to the professional development of women in STEM. It is the availability of fellow female mentors that assists in creating confidence in women’s ability to succeed in STEM.
“Young women with successful female STEM professionals (such as scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and computer scientists) foster a proper understanding of STEM fields and access to female role models,” according to the study.
The study also identified stereotypes as the final major determinant of women’s success in STEM careers.
“Stereotypes hamper the test performance of ability-stigmatised groups, and they fail to reach their full potential,” the study comments. “This is an essential channel for explaining why girls perform worse in mathematics when they are assigned to more biased teachers, but it is also broadly relevant because it suggests that exposure to gender stereotypes is at least partially responsible for women’s lower self-confidence in scientific fields.”