Page 14 - Gi flipbook April 2018

NEWS | EDUCATION

Women in gender-equal countries

less likely to gain STEM degrees

WOMEN IN COUNTRIES
with high levels of gender
equality are less likely to
gain degrees in science,
technology, engineering
and mathematics fields,
according to a study.
Revealing what they
called the “educational-
gender-equality paradox”,
psychologists David Geary,
from the University of
Missouri, and Gijsbert
Stoet, from Leeds Beckett
University, drew on data
for hundreds of thousands
of students worldwide
to examine adolescent
achievement in science,
mathematics and reading.
Drawing on figures
from the Organisation for
Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD)
and the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation, they
then looked at the number
of women going on to
complete STEM degrees.
They found that women
in countries with high levels Researchers are calling it
of gender equality, such as the educational-gender-
Finland and Norway, were equality paradox
significantly less likely
to gain degrees in these may allow personal general life risks. and literature, then the
fields, reports Times Higher preferences to be “We found it explained latter would be your best
Education. expressed more strongly. about a third of the subject,” he said.
Exploring what might And they add that, in relationship, suggesting that Nevertheless, Professor
be driving this difference, countries with lower a lot of women in these Geary added, there are still
Professor Geary and levels of equality, a well- gender-unequal countries significant numbers of girls
Professor Stoet discovered paying career in science or may pursue STEM degrees and women whose best
that students were more engineering may be seen not necessarily based on subject at school is maths
likely to pursue a degree as an investment in a more their interests or personal or science, and in every
in a field that suited their secure future. strengths but more for the country the researchers
strengths. According to “We suspected that utility of the degree.” looked at, this number was
the data, this was typically [the difference in degree Professor Geary said that higher than the percentage
maths and science for boys, uptake] was partly related a lot of previous research of women getting degrees
and reading for girls. to economic concerns,” has “focused on absolute in these fields.
The differences in Professor Geary told differences”, such as mean “If the interventions
attainment in these areas Times Higher Education. scores in science and [to improve female
were greatest in more “We didn’t have a perfect reading, but a student’s participation] focused on
gender-equal nations, the measure of that so we best subject is probably the girls who have the
study says. looked at the overall life- more important. academic profile and the
Professor Geary and satisfaction rate – which “You may be very good interests that are common
Professor Stoet say economists have found to at math or science, but in people who go into these
that the liberal mores in be correlated to economic if you’re even better in fields they might be more
gender-equal countries opportunity, salary and reading comprehension successful,” he said. ■

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News.indd 9 15/03/2018 14:24