Challenging the Notion of the Pipeline Problem in STEM

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/ie.2024.442

Keywords:

women, STEM, career search, pipeline, self-efficacy

Abstract

It is widely known that women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). We have a lack of women who choose STEM careers and women leave these careers at a higher rate than men. Women of color are especially underrepresented and face additional hurtles in building their STEM career. While interventions often focus on increasing female interest and confidence in STEM, my work addresses the lack of research on how STEM recruiting and hiring practices impact female career progression and career decision making (Friedmann & Efrat-Treister, 2023). Through identifying barriers women face during the recruitment process, I seek to break down societal inequities that limit female career progression in technology roles and lead to women feeling insecure about their career prospects despite having confidence in their technical skillsets.

References

Behroozi, M., Shirolkar, S., Barik, T., & Parnin, C. (2020). Does stress impact technical interview performance? Proceedings of the 28th ACM Joint Meeting on European Software Engineering Conference and Symposium on the Foundations of Software Engineering, 481–492. https://doi.org/10.1145/3368089.3409712

Cabay, M., Bernstein, B. L., Rivers, M., & Fabert, N. (2018). Chilly climates, balancing acts, and shifting pathways: What happens to women in STEM doctoral programs. Social Sciences, 7(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7020023

Carli, L. L., Alawa, L., Lee, Y., Zhao, B., & Kim, E. (2016). Stereotypes about gender and science: Women ≠ scientists. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 40(2), 244–260. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684315622645

CompTIA. (2023, March 10). Pullback in tech employment modest relative to expectations, CompTIA analysis of latest labor market data finds. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pullback-in-tech-employment-modest-relative-to-expectations-comptia-analysis-of-latest-labor-market-data-finds-301769187.html

Dannals, J. E., Zlatev, J. J., Halevy, N., & Neale, M. A. (2021). The dynamics of gender and alternatives in negotiation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(11), 1655–1672. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000867

Dey, F., & Cruzvergara, C. Y. (2014). Evolution of career services in higher education. New Directions for Student Services, 2014(148), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20105

Eagly, A. H., & Carli, L. L. (2007). Women and the labyrinth of leadership. Harvard Business Review, 85(9), 62–71. https://doi.org/10.1037/e664062007-001

Fouad, N. A., & Santana, M. C. (2017). SCCT and underrepresented populations in STEM fields: Moving the needle. Journal of Career Assessment, 25(1), 24–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072716658324

Friedmann, E., & Efrat-Treister, D. (2023). Gender bias in STEM hiring: Implicit in-group gender favoritism among men managers. Gender & Society, 37(1), 32–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/08912432221137910

Herring, C. (2009). Does diversity pay?: Race, gender, and the business case for diversity. American Sociological Review, 74(2), 208–224. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240907400203

Kincheloe, J. L. (2005). From Constructivism to critical constructivism. In Critical Constructivism Primer (pp. 1–40). https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=35947097&site=ehost-live

Martinez, A., & Christnacht, C. (2021, January 6). Women Are Nearly Half of U.S. Workforce but Only 27% of STEM Workers. Census.Gov. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/01/women-making-gains-in-stem-occupations-but-still-underrepresented.html

McKinsey & Company. (2022). Women in the Workplace 2022 (pp. 1–61). https://womenintheworkplace.com/

National Career Development Association. (2011). Career development: A policy statement of the National Career Development Association. https://www.ncda.org/aws/NCDA/asset_manager/get_file/39958?ver=29369

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). (2023). Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities 2023 (Special Report NSF 23-315). National Science Foundation. https://ncses.nsf.gov/wmpd

National Center for Women and Information Technology. (2022). Women and Information Technology By the Numbers. https://ncwit.org/resource/bythenumbers/

Nobel, S. U. (2018). Algorithms of Oppression. New York University Press. https://nyupress.org/9781479837243/algorithms-of-oppression

Pew Research Center. (2018). Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/01/PS_2018.01.09_STEM_1-09.png

Speer, J. D. (2023). Bye bye Ms. American Sci: Women and the leaky STEM pipeline. Economics of Education Review, 93, 102371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2023.102371

Twine, F. W. (2018). Technology’s invisible women: Black geek girls in silicon valley and the failure of diversity initiatives. International Journal of Critical Diversity Studies, 1(1), 58–79. https://doi.org/10.13169/intecritdivestud.1.1.0058

Downloads

Published

2024-08-06

How to Cite

Andersen, R. K. (2024). Challenging the Notion of the Pipeline Problem in STEM. Impacting Education: Journal on Transforming Professional Practice, 9(3), 18–23. https://doi.org/10.5195/ie.2024.442