The intersection of sex and field: an examination of career choice factors and dropout intentions in STEM and non-STEM degrees

ABSTRACT

The under-representation of women in male-dominated STEM fields is a worldwide concern. However, there are other academic fields, like some non-STEM degrees, where female students are over-represented. Previous research has identified five critical factors influencing student participation rates: career choice, satisfaction, self-esteem, discrimination, and dropout. Based on a sample of 402 students, this study examines the educational experiences of female students in male-dominated STEM degrees compared to those in female-dominated non-STEM degrees. The study also compares results between male students in STEM and non-STEM degrees. The findings reveal that STEM female students are less likely to choose their studies based on vocation, associated with dropout intentions. Moreover, STEM female students have higher dropout intentions and feel less self-esteem. For female STEM students, dropout intentions are related to self-esteem, discrimination, and satisfaction. This study highlights differences between minority groups in STEM and non-STEM degrees and offers valuable information to address the under-representation of female students in technical fields.

KEYWORDS:

• Career choice
• dropout intentions
• female students
• STEM degrees
• under-represented minorities

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank all the students from the UPC and the URV who took part in answering the questionnaire and the teachers who facilitated its distribution.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rosó Baltà-Salvador

Rosó Baltà Salvador, PhD is an associate professor in the Department of Graphic and Design Engineering at the School of Industrial, Aeronautical and Audio-visual Engineering of Terrassa (ESEIAAT) and a member of the Social Impact of STEM Disciplines (SOC-STEM) research group. She holds a Ph.D. in Sustainability and a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design and Product Development from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya BarcelonaTech (UPC). She also has a Master’s degree in Multimedia Applications from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC). Her research interests are in the fields of gender, equity/inequality, learning methodologies, and ethical and user-oriented design and technology.

Marta Peña

Marta Peña, PhD received a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and a Ph.D. degree in Mathematics from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC). She is an associate professor at the Department of Mathematics and a member of the Institute of Industrial and Control Engineering. She teaches at the Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering (ETSEIB) and at the School of Mathematics and Statistics (FME). She is the head of the Social Impact of STEM Disciplines (SOC-STEM) research group and has been deputy director of the Institute of Education Sciences at the UPC. Her research interests are applied mathematics and innovation in higher education, including social aspects of engineering education and student engagement.

Ana-Inés Renta-Davids

Ana-Inés Renta-Davids, PhD in Education by Universitat Rovira I Virgili and Master Erasmus Mundus for Training the Trainers, by University of Granada. Currently, she is a Serra Hunter Lecturer at the Pedagogy Department at Universitat Rovira i Virgili and is member of the research group Educational Transformation, Leadership and Sustainability (EDIT). Her main research interests are the relationships between education and work. Her main research lines are workplace learning, employability, informal learning, competence development and competence evaluation, and teacher initial and continuous education.

Noelia Olmedo-Torre

Noelia Olmedo-Torre, PhD has a Ph.D. in Multimedia Engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya·BarcelonaTech and a degree in Telecommunications Engineering. In addition, she has two postgraduate degrees, Interactive Multimedia Systems and University Education in Sciences, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics-STEM. She is an associate professor at the Department of Graphic and Design Engineering (DGDE) of the Barcelona East School of Engineering (EEBE). Her research interests are in the social aspects of engineering education, innovation in higher education, professional competencies, assessment tools, the promotion of teaching and learning improvement, and educational innovation that contributes to teaching quality.