“I just want to annoy him now and say, look, I can do STEM too!”: a qualitative investigation into the attitudes and engagement of female students in STEM education in Ireland

Abstract

Women are underrepresented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths); with further stratification existing for those from low socio-economic backgrounds. Understanding the reasons for this is essential to progress towards equality in STEM fields. This paper takes the perspective of such marginalized groups and explores their beliefs about STEM within a school-based system, for the purposes of this study a focus has been placed on gender and socio-economic status. Focus groups were conducted with 18 female participants attending Irish secondary schools. The results provide insight into the challenges faced when pursuing STEM; additionally, the motivating and inhibiting factors are reported. Results reveal how social and academic barriers prevent young women from progressing in STEM, highlighting how intersectional layers of disadvantage limit equal access in STEM education. Such findings can inform the development of policies to help students access STEM-education, especially those attending schools characterized by higher concentrations of students from low-socio-economic backgrounds.

Keywords

• STEM
• gender
• socio-economic status
• DEIS (delivering equality of opportunity in schools)