Belonging and Masculinities: Proposal of a Conceptual Framework to Study the Reasons behind the Gender Gap in Engineering

Andrea Vera-Gajardo
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Andrea Vera-Gajardo: Instituto de Matemáticas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaiso 2360102, Chile

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 20, 1-14

Abstract: The low participation of women in STEM fields is well-known and has been well documented around the world. Closing this gap plays a central role in achieving a more equal society and thus sustainable development. The gender gap in STEM must be understood as a complex problem which can be explained through various factors (cultural, economic, and social) and therefore requires the efforts of different disciplines and actors. This article proposes that the hegemonic masculinity theory together with the concept of belonging, understood from the point of view of feminist studies and cultural studies, can contribute a necessary conceptual framework for understanding the causes behind the gender gap in engineering.

Keywords: gender gap; engineering; belonging; masculinities and technology; STEM (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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