---
title: "Female education in STEM"
chunk: 1/2
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_education_in_STEM"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T04:19:44.660665+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

Female education in STEM refers to child and adult female representation in the educational fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). In 2017, 33% of students in STEM fields were women.
The organization UNESCO has stated that this gender disparity is due to discrimination, biases, social norms and expectations that influence the quality of education women receive and the subjects they study. UNESCO also believes that having more women in STEM fields is desirable because it would help bring about sustainable development.

== Current status of girls and women in STEM education ==

=== Overall trends in STEM education ===

Gender differences in STEM education remain a global issue. This is widely understood to be influenced by society and cultural factors. Including gender norms, expectation's, access to resources, and the availability of role models. Girls appear to lose interest in STEM subjects with age, particularly between early and late adolescence. This decreased interest affects participation in advanced studies at the secondary level and in higher education. 
Globally, women represent 35% of graduates in STEM fields, and this share hasn't changed by much in recent years. However, participation can vary by subject. Women are more strongly represented in life sciences and health-related fields, but tend to be less represented in engineering, computer science, physics, and information and communication technologies. Differences are also observed by disciplines, with female enrollment lowest in manufacturing and construction, natural science, mathematics and statistics and ICT fields. Significant regional and country differences in female representation in STEM studies can be observed, though, suggesting the presence of contextual factors affecting girls’ and women's engagement in these fields. Women are also underrepresented in the STEM workforce, particularly in senior and leadership roles. Women also leave STEM disciplines in disproportionate numbers during their higher education studies, in their transition to the world of work and even in their career cycle.

=== Learning achievement in STEM education ===

Data on gender differences in learning achievement present a complex picture, depending on what is measured (subject, knowledge acquisition against knowledge application), the level of education/age of students, and geographic location. Overall, women's participation has been increasing, but significant regional variations exist. For example, where data are available in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the gender gap is largely in favor of boys in mathematics achievement in secondary education. In contrast, in the Arab States, girls perform better than boys in primary and secondary education. As with the data on participation, national and regional variations in data on learning achievement suggest the presence of contextual factors affecting girls’ and women's engagement in these fields. Girls’ achievement seems to be stronger in science than mathematics and where girls do better than boys, the score differential is up to three times higher than where boys do better. Girls tend to outperform boys in certain sub-topics such as biology and chemistry but do less well in physics and earth science.
The gender gap has fallen significantly in science in secondary education among TIMSS trend countries: 14 out of 17 participating countries had no gender gap in science in 2015, compared to only one in 1995. However, the data are less well known outside of these 17 countries. The gender gap in boys' favor is slightly bigger in mathematics but improvements over time in girls’ favor are also observed in certain countries, despite the important regional variations. Gender differences are observed within mathematical sub-topics with girls outperforming boys in topics such as algebra and geometry but doing less well in "number". Girls’ performance is stronger in assessments that measure knowledge acquisition than those measuring knowledge application. Country coverage in terms of data availability is quite limited while data are collected at a different frequency and against different variables in the existing studies. There are large gaps in our knowledge of the situation in low- and middle-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and South and West Asia, particularly at the secondary level.

== Factors influencing girls' and women's participation and achievement in STEM education ==

According to UNESCO, there are multiple and overlapping factors which influence girls' and women's participation, achievement and progression in STEM studies and careers, all of which interact in complex ways, including: 

Individual level: biological factors that may influence individuals’ abilities, skills, and behaviour such as brain structure and function, hormones, genetics, and cognitive traits like spatial and linguistic skills. It also considers psychological factors, including self-efficacy, interest and motivation.
Family and peer level: parental beliefs and expectations, parental education and socioeconomic status, and other household factors, as well as peer influences.
School level: factors within the learning environment, including teachers’ profile, experience, beliefs and expectations, curricula, learning materials and resources, teaching strategies and student teacher interactions, assessment practices, and the overall school environment.
Societal level: social and cultural norms related to gender equality, and gender stereotypes in the media.

=== Individual level ===
Individual level
The question of whether there are differences in cognitive ability between men and women has long been a topic of debate among researchers and scholars. Research has produced mixed feelings regarding differences in cognitive between men and women, with some studies finding no consistent differences in learning outcomes based on sex. 
Loss of interest has been the major reason cited for girls opting out of STEM. However, more recent research highlights the role of socialization processes and gender stereotypes in shaping these choices. Gender stereotypes that communicate the idea that STEM studies and careers are male domains can negatively affect girls' interest, engagement, and achievement in STEM, and may discourage them from pursuing STEM careers. Girls who assimilate such stereotypes have lower levels of self-efficacy and confidence in their ability than boys. Self-efficacy affects both STEM education outcomes and aspirations for STEM careers to a considerable extent. In recent years, more women have been majoring in STEM, although we still continue to witness vast imbalances between men and women studying math, engineering, or science.