Why Girls Do Not Choose STEM? Gender Differences in Motivation

Abstract

The rapid growth in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) industry has demanded a considerable number of new employees, but women among them remain the minority. In this article, we examine gender differences in motivation in pursuing STEM degrees and careers. Our research follows a mixed-method sequential design and draws data from a student survey (n = 2 192) and semi-structured interviews with STEM students (n = 17). According to the results, men participate in STEM at higher rates than women, and motivation is related to student abilities and efforts they put in to succeed in STEM. Furthermore, we indicated gender differences among students in these aspects. Men are more confident in their abilities, arguing that they have a natural talent in STEM, and women, on the contrary, need to put more effort. However, in their opinion, numerous efforts often do not lead to success. As a result, women are more likely than men to think about changing their career paths after graduation from STEM. In turn, men tend to expect a high salary and rapid career growth. Understanding this motivation allows moving toward achieving gender balance in STEM. 

Acknowledgments. This article is an output of a research project implemented as a part of the Basic Research Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE University).