Grouping female engineering students together boosts their confidence
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028791
Ars Technica : Women engineering students have higher levels of motivation, participation, and confidence when they are in groups composed mostly of other women than when they are in groups composed mostly of men or of equal numbers of men and women, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The finding is important because of the gender imbalance that exists in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Fewer women pursue jobs in STEM fields than men, and women in STEM fields are more likely to leave than their male contemporaries. Isolation and gender stereotypes may be to blame, say the researchers. The current study was based on 122 female undergraduate engineering majors at a large public university.
