Resistance and persistence: exploring gender-untypical educational choices

Abstract

Given the ambition to decrease gender segregation in higher education, it is essential to understand the considerations made by the gender minority in segregated fields of study. This article interprets the resistance met by girls choosing gender-untypical paths, and analyses how they explain and justify such choices. The context of Norway provided both the framework for the study and a lens for understanding the girls’ experiences. Interview data show how the girls understand their own and others’ educational choices in light of ideas of gender equality. Arguably, claiming to be ‘one who dares’, and anchoring their choices in egalitarian ideals, strengthened their motivation in the face of resistance. Furthermore, the resistance was not rooted in stereotypes around competence but based on gender role expectations. This suggests that cultural beliefs about women as primarily caretakers, and the notion that appearance relates to educational choices, are more resistant to change than stereotypes about women and technical competence.

Keywords:

• Educational choice
• gender
• gender stereotypes
• gender equality

Notes

1. The bachelor degree programmes in nautical science and engineering in Norway are similar both in structure and in actual subjects, making this literature relevant.

2. West Coast college is a pseudonym.