Why is the pipeline leaking? Experiences of young women in STEM vocational education and training and their adjustment strategies

Makarova, Elena; Aeschlimann, Belinda; Herzog, Walter

doi:10.1186/s40461-016-0027-y

Cited by 48 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Well, the time we were doing diesel and motor mechanics in N2 and N3, our These findings suggest that classroom practices can at times be alienating or intimidating to women students. This resonates with other findings, such as those of Makarova, Aeschlimann and Herzog (2016), where lecturers were reported to have contributed to the 'subtle bullying' of women students in Science and Engineering studies.…”

Section: Experiences Of Women Students Of Engineering At a Tvet Collegesupporting

confidence: 87%

Experiences of women students in Engineering studies at a TVET college in South Africa

Matenda¹

2020

JOVACET

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This article explores the experiences of women students in an Engineering programme at a South African technical and vocational education and training (TVET) college. Drawing on the capabilities approach as the study’s theoretical framework, the author interprets what women go through as they navigate college and transition into the labour market. While there is a growing literature on post-school education, particularly on TVET, few studies focus on the experiences of women students in traditionally male-dominated programmes such as Engineering. Furthermore, South African education and training policies since 1994 make reference to a commitment to resolving the inequalities under the previous apartheid government, specifically with regard to gender inequality. Through a case study approach, the research reported on in this article sought to understand how the democratic government’s commitment to social justice was being implemented and experienced on the ground, and, more particularly, whether it is improving the position of women students. Qualitative data obtained through in-depth interviews were collected in two phases from 14 women in their final trimester of the National Accredited Technical Education Diploma (NATED) programme and about six months after that. The findings show that the students face various challenges while they persist with their education, and also in obtaining either internships or employment. By highlighting the experiences of women in TVET, it is hoped thatthis understanding will help to persuade the government to embrace social justice in the postschool sector so as to enhance the study and employment opportunities of women who enrol in Engineering.

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Section: Experiences Of Women Students Of Engineering At a Tvet Collegesupporting

confidence: 87%

Experiences of women students in Engineering studies at a TVET college in South Africa

Matenda¹

2020

JOVACET

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“…The gender gap with male dominance in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (the so-called STEM subjects) has been well documented in most OECD countries (Jarman, Blackburn, & Racko, 2012). Makarova, Aeschlimann, and Herzog (2016) assumed gender-typed pathways because of gender stereotypes and gender roles. While males are most interested in realistic and investigative contexts, females prefer social, artistic, and slightly less distinctively enterprising environments.…”

Section: Types Of Interest and Professional Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Professional Desires and Career Decisions: Effects of Professional Interests, Role Models, and Internship in Lower Secondary School

Neuenschwander

Hofmann

Jüttler

et al. 2018

IJRVET

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Context: Following the social cognitive career theory of Lent, Brown, and Hackett (1994), the current study examines the effect of role models' professions and practical internship experiences on the choice of professional environment independent of professional interests. Embedded in the Swiss context with its strong vocational training system, the paper outlines to what extent the desired professional environment is realized in the chosen apprenticeship two years later and how this realization can be predicted. The theoretical model proposes that students form direct professional experiences during their first internship(s). If those experiences are positive, students choose an apprenticeship in the same professional environment. Students have indirect (vicarious) professional experiences through their role models. If those experiences are positive, students choose an apprenticeship in the role model's professional environment. The study examined whether, independent of professional interests, direct experiences in internships and indirect experiences through role models' professions predict the realization of a desired professional environment in an apprenticeship. * Method:The longitudinal sample consists of N = 348 seventh-and ninth-grade students from four German-speaking Swiss cantons. Professional interests and environments were measured using standardized questionnaires. The professional environments of the desired professions, the chosen apprenticeships, the role model's professions, and the internship's professions were coded using Holland's (1997) interest types: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional (RIASEC).Results: In 53% of the cases, students chose an apprenticeship in the professional environment they desired. In 53% of the cases, the chosen professional environment corresponded with the professional environment of the student's two most important role models. In 39% of the cases, those role models were their parents. By means of logistic regression analyses, we can show that role models' professional environments and the professional environment of the first internship influenced the realization of the desired professional environment at the end of lower secondary school, independent of the effect of the individuals' interests.Conclusions: Results show that direct professional experiences in internships and indirect experiences of role models influence the realization of the desired professional environment, independent of professional interests. In a contextual approach, career counselling should include the role model's profession and how it corresponds with the client's interests and professional desires. Moreover, role models, especially parents, have a responsibility to reflect on how their goals influence students' career choice processes.

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“…11 Thirty years later, these leaks in the pipeline continue to be an issue globally for recruiting and retaining women in science education programs and careers. [12][13][14][15] There is little published quantitative data on diversity within the field of medical physics. A 2015 report by the International Organization of Medical Physics (IOMP) found that the global percentage of female medical physicists was 28%.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The state of gender diversity in medical physics

2020

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The purpose of this study was to quantify gender diversity in leadership positions within the field of medical physics, as well as within award categories and other recognitions by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. The April 2019 PDF version of the AAPM membership directory was searched for all users self‐reporting as holding a leadership position at their place of employment, those elected to leadership positions within the AAPM, those serving as chair of an AAPM council, and those listed as having received an award or other such recognition from AAPM (beginning in 1972 with the William D. Coolidge Award). Historical data for these categories were obtained from archived membership directories on the AAPM website. The AAPM website was also used to identify members who have served on the Medical Physics Editorial Board. The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP) website was used to identify the current directors of graduate and residency programs (as of July 2019). Because gender was not a reported field in any of these categories, gender was assigned by reviewing names and photographs. Percentage representation in these respects was compared to the overall percentage of women in the AAPM in 2019 (23.3%) and reported the number of women working as medical physicists globally (29.8%). Within the AAPM, the percentage of women reporting clinical leadership roles is 12.0% within the US, 13.6% in Canada, and 18.0% in all other countries combined. Women comprise only 7.5% of CAMPEP graduate program directors and 21.5% of residency program directors. The percentage of female presidents in AAPM is 8.1%. A woman has never served as Editor‐in‐Chief of Medical Physics, and the average for the past 10 yr for female board membership is 13.6%. With the exception of the John R. Cameron Young Investigators Symposium Award, the percentage of all female AAPM awardees is less than the percentage of women AAPM members. The lowest percentage of female representation within AAPM is among council chairs with only one woman having held a chair position out of 42 positions (2.4%) from 1970 to July 2019. Similar to the traditional discipline of physics, medical physics displays a clear gender disparity with regard to leadership positions, both within educational training programs and the AAPM. Further investigation into the demographics of the field and psychosocial factors affecting medical physicists may help to elucidate the origin of these disparities and inform strategies to address them.

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Why is the pipeline leaking? Experiences of young women in STEM vocational education and training and their adjustment strategies

Cited by 48 publications

References 40 publications

Experiences of women students in Engineering studies at a TVET college in South Africa

Experiences of women students in Engineering studies at a TVET college in South Africa

Professional Desires and Career Decisions: Effects of Professional Interests, Role Models, and Internship in Lower Secondary School

The state of gender diversity in medical physics

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