Women and STEM

Shulamit Kahn and Donna Ginther

No 23525, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Researchers from economics, sociology, psychology, and other disciplines have studied the persistent under-representation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This chapter summarizes this research. We argue that women’s under-representation is concentrated in the math-intensive science fields of geosciences, engineering, economics, math/computer science and physical science. Our analysis concentrates on the environmental factors that influence ability, preferences, and the rewards for those choices. We examine how gendered stereotypes, culture, role models, competition, risk aversion, and interests contribute to gender STEM gap, starting at childhood, solidifying by middle school, and affecting women and men as they progress through school, higher education, and into the labor market. Our results are consistent with preferences and psychological explanations for the under-representation of women in math-intensive STEM fields.

JEL-codes: I24 J16 J24 J3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-gen, nep-hme and nep-lab
Note: LS
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (76)

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