Gendered Beliefs in STEM Undergraduates: A Comparative Analysis of Fuzzy Rating versus Likert Scales

Ana M. Castaño, M. Asunción Lubiano and Antonio L. García-Izquierdo
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Ana M. Castaño: Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain
M. Asunción Lubiano: Department of Statistics and Operations Research and Mathematics Didactics, University of Oviedo, 33007 Oviedo, Spain
Antonio L. García-Izquierdo: Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 15, 1-17

Abstract: Women are underrepresented in growing positions such as those related to STEM field careers (i.e., science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). One of the causes for remaining out of that field could lie on gender stereotypes. Undergraduate stereotypes and beliefs are important as could easily uphold future gender segregation at the workplace. In the research arena the measurement of those biased beliefs is important as most commonly used Likert scales (LS) could raise problems in terms of accuracy. As fuzzy rating scales (FRS) are a promising measurement alternative, the aim of this study is to compare the properties of FRS against LS. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 262 STEM and non-STEM participants who answered to a questionnaire that, besides gendered beliefs and injustice perception towards the situation of women at the workplace, included personal characteristics as coursed degree and working experience. Results pointed out, on one hand, that FRS allowed for a better capture of the variability of individual responses, but on the other hand, that LS were better valued than FRS in what is concerned with satisfaction and ease of response. Advantages of FRS for psychosocial measurement are discussed to facilitate the study around causes of segregation that excludes women from the STEM labour market.

Keywords: fuzzy rating scale; Likert scale; stereotypes measurement; gender equality; STEM studies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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