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Articles

Women students in engineering in Mexico: exploring responses to gender differences

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Pages 1044-1061 | Received 11 Mar 2014, Accepted 23 Apr 2014, Published online: 30 Jun 2014
 

Abstract

The percentage of women students in engineering in Mexico is still low compared to the percentage of women enrolled in higher education institutions in the country, which has achieved parity with male enrollment. It is thus important to understand how gender can shape the experiences of female college students in engineering programs, which was the focus of this study. Findings for this study are presented in two sections. We first describe how female students have an extra burden dealing with the possibility that their performance might confirm the stereotype of female inferiority in math and science and that they may be judged according to that stereotype. Secondly, we describe the challenges faced by female students in engineering colleges in Mexico, namely, a demanding academic curriculum, and competitive and individualistic environment. This study illustrates how successful female students negotiated the gendered expectations in engineering in Mexican engineering programs, and how they use resistance strategies like academic success to become accepted in the male-dominated engineering environment.

Acknowledgements

Earlier versions of this work have been presented in the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) conferences.

Notes

1. Some names have been changed per participants’ choice.

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