This qualitative study employs a Bourdieusian framework to explore how urban middle-class parents in Pakistan support their daughters' education while transmitting cultural capital. Parents emphasize "talim-o-tarbiyat," referring to education and nurturing. I argue that, owing to the availability of educational resources and the…

Programs in bioinformatics, offered in many academic institutes, are assumed to expand women's representation in computer science (CS). Women's enrolment in these programs is high. Our questions are: Do these programs attract different women from those attracted to CS programs? What factors underlie women's decision to enroll in bioinformatics…

This paper studies intersectional multiplicity by encompassing the ways individuals shape relationships between social structures and their science identity. We discuss the science lives of two sixteen-year-old British South-Asian Muslim women studying in a single-sex independent school in London, both of whom aspire to science careers. Adapting…

In this article we describe evolving educational aspirations and practices of female high school students and their families in the context of rapidly changing education and employment markets in Kolkata. We interviewed 35 families of girls attending two government high schools. The families are from lower middle-class and lower income…

Background: Women and under-represented minority (URM) students continue to be under-represented in STEM and earn the lowest proportion of undergraduate engineering degrees. We employed a mixed methods research approach grounded in social capital theory to investigate "when" they first consider pursuing engineering as a college degree…

The notion of 'raising aspirations' to widen participation in higher education and increase attainment has dominated policy discourse globally for the past decade. Projects and campaigns that aim to increase participation and attainment in education therefore typically focus on student aspirations. This is certainly the case in the Tasmanian…

This article synthesizes sociopsychological theories and empirical research to establish a framework for exploring causal pathways and targeted interventions for the low representation of women in post-secondary physics. The rationale for this article is based upon disproportionate representation among undergraduate physics majors in the United…

Current literature on college and career readiness highlights the role of educators in promoting the success of all students. However, few studies have focused on the specific needs of gifted African American girls. This article discusses the school experiences and career development of gifted African American girls and it provides a culturally…

To understand the career experiences of adult transsexual women, we conducted a qualitative study on a sample of 9 predominately White male-to-female (MTF) transsexuals who were mostly middle-aged (M = 33.8, SD = 15.4) and had been on hormone therapy for an average of 20.7 months (SD = 22.5). Results of the interview data highlighted participants'…

In this commentary, the author talks about her two articles in "Psychology of Women Quarterly" (PWQ): (1) the 1987 article entitled "Gender Roles and Women's Achievement-Related Decisions"; and (2) the 1994 article entitled "Understanding Women's Educational and Occupational Choices." The original articles can be found at…

This study investigated the influence of background variables (age, race/ethnicity, mother's work status outside of the home, and socioeconomic status), personal variables (anticipatory role conflict and academic self-efficacy), and environmental variables (parental attachment and parental support) on aspects of adolescent girls' career planning.…

The purpose of this study was to determine how and to what extent single gender science classes affect motivation to learn scientific concepts, interest in science, and college major intent among high school and middle school girls. This study was designed to determine whether students' motivation to learn science changes when they are placed in a…

There is international concern over persistent low rates of participation in postcompulsory science--especially the physical sciences--within which there is a notable underrepresentation of girls/women. This paper draws on data collected from a survey of more than 9,000 10/11-year-old pupils and 170 interviews (with 92 children and 78 parents)…

For more than three decades, women have outnumbered men in college enrollments, yet they are less likely to graduate and enter a career in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM). Even though women have made notable gains in social sciences, psychology, and biological and agricultural sciences, significant disparities still persist…

The third of the eight Millennium Development Goals is to promote gender equality and empower women. This article discusses the factors that are associated with 31 female higher education students' choices and aspirations to pursue education and careers in mathematics and science-related fields. The analysis is based on semistructured interviews.…