Female students face distinct challenges when pursuing an education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Those challenges are compounded when female students grow up in the rural American west. Through the framework of Critical Feminist Theory (CFT), this study looks to identify barriers for female students within STEM…

This qualitative study explored a targeted recruitment initiative that was designed to attract and recruit female academic staff in STEM disciplines at an Australian University. Semi-structured, one-on-one interviews were conducted with female and male key informants: 16 Panel Members and six Applicants. Codebook Thematic Analysis was applied…

Nerd-genius stereotypes about people in the physical sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (pSTEM) are barriers to getting many adolescent girls interested in pSTEM. Endorsing these stereotypes may undermine youths' pSTEM identity especially when they are incongruent with their self-concepts--possibly more likely for girls than boys.…

Why are some fields and occupations more diverse than others? In this review, we describe a conceptual framework--the field-specific ability beliefs (FAB) model--that provides a promising answer to this question. This model proposes that gender and racial/ethnic imbalances in a field or occupation result in part from the confluence of two beliefs:…

There has been and continues to be a substantial amount of work done to encourage, support, and retain women in mathematics. However, very little has been written about the faculty leading these gender-based initiatives, most of whom are women. This dynamic--women advocating on behalf of other women--is connected to identity-based activist…

As the United States works towards strengthening and diversifying the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce, many national charges aim to increase the quantity of female participants, while overlooking how systematic barriers affect the quality of female students' education. Many STEM workforce development programs, such as…

There is a general consensus among scholars that a gender disparity exists in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields (Moss-Racusin et al., 2018). With men holding a large proportion of faculty positions in STEM departments, they occupy a unique position wherein they may utilize their privileged status and serve as allies…

This singular holistic case study examined the experience of a Black pregnant mother pursuing doctoral studies in a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) field at a predominantly white flagship institution in the southern United States. We employed the tenets of critical race feminism in this study to demonstrate the ways in which…

This study investigates the influence of K-12 STEM education on the retention rates of Black women pursuing STEM majors in higher education institutions in Texas. The problem addressed in this study is the unknown influence of K-12 STEM education on Black women majoring in STEM in Texas higher education institutions. This research aims to describe…

Gender bias underlying discrimination against women are particularly salient in STEM higher education. Complementing top-down measures to mitigate these issues identified in the extant literature, we aim to highlight a complementary bottom-up approach. First, to elicit gender stereotypes and gender bias in STEM, we conducted a group concept…

This study examined the racialized enclosure that African American/Black women in technology and engineering experience as they navigate to executive leadership. This qualitative narrative inquiry research explored, through lived experiences, the racialized enclosures inhibiting African American/Black women from excelling to executive leadership…

The visibility of female role models in science is vital for engaging and retaining women in scientific fields. In this study, we analyse four senior secondary science courses delivered across the states and territories in Australia: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Physics. We compared male and female representation within the…

Black women undergraduate STEM students at Predominately White Institutions (PWIs) contend with difficult experiences in their academic majors (Charleston et al., 2014; Fletcher et al., 2017; Johnson, 2007; McGee & Bentley, 2017). Black women undergraduate STEM students are battling isolation, microaggressions, chilly climate, and other…

The aim of this study was to map the current status of STEM education in Kazakhstan. The study encompasses 24 studies selected through a literature search in Google Scholar, ERIC, Web of Science, and Scopus. The descriptive characteristics of the reviewed studies reveal a significant increase in STEM education publications in Kazakhstan since…

Globally, a significant gender gap is reported in the enrolment of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Bangladesh reports one of the lowest female stakeholder percentages in STEM but has increased demand for skilled STEM professionals. Therefore, this qualitative study explores the experiences of undergraduate women…