scholarly journals Is the STEM gender gap closing?

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-57
Author(s):  
Anton Dubrovskiy ◽  
Susan Broadway ◽  
Ben Jang ◽  
Blain Mamiya ◽  
Cynthia B. Powell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Chemistry ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Female Population ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
Study Support ◽  
Disaggregate Data ◽  
Southwestern State ◽  
Gap Closing

The Networking for Science Advancement (NSA) team's institutions consist of nine universities located in one large southwestern state. This study evaluated students enrolled from Spring 2017 to Fall 2019 in first- and second-semester general chemistry. Over 90% of the students (n = 6,694) have been exposed to a secondary school isomorphic curriculum. The population studied, Chem I (n = 4,619) and Chem II (n = 2,075), met entry-level criteria and are therefore expected to succeed (i.e., earn grades of A, B or C). This study's focus is to disaggregate data based on binary gender (M/F) in hopes of revealing patterns that might remain hidden when studying an undivided population. In Chem I, the female population was 59.6% and increased to 64.5% for Chem II. The 15-min., diagnostic Math-Up Skills Test’s (MUST) scores identified about half of all students who were unsuccessful (grades of D and F). Results from the study support that males enter Chem I and II with better automaticity skills (what can be done without using a calculator) than females. However, females outperformed males on course averages in Chem I but not Chem II. Our data provide supporting evidence that the gender gap may be closing.

scholarly journals Gender Inequality in Safety and Security Perceptions in Railway Stations

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 4007
Author(s):  
Pierluigi Coppola ◽  
Fulvio Silvestri
Keyword(s):  
Gender Gap ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Stated Preference ◽  
Revealed Preference ◽  
Behavioral Models ◽  
Mobility Patterns ◽  
Railway Stations ◽  
Commercial Activities ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
Disaggregate Data

Recent studies have shown that gender is the personal aspect that mostly affects mobility patterns and travel behaviors. It has been observed, for instance, that female perception of unsafety and insecurity when traveling using public transport forces them to make unwanted travel choices, such as avoiding traveling at certain times of day and to specific destinations. In order to improve the attractiveness of public transport services, this gender gap must not be overlooked. This paper aims at contributing to research in gendered mobility by investigating differences in safety and security perceptions in railway stations, and by identifying which policies could be effective in bridging any existing gap. The methodology includes the collection of disaggregate data through a mixed Revealed Preference/Stated Preference survey, and the estimation of fixed and random parameters behavioral models. Results from a medium-sized Italian railway station show that female travelers feel safer in the presence of other people; they prefer intermodal infrastructures close to the entrance of the station and commercial activities in the internal premises. Moreover, unlike male travelers, they do not appreciate the presence of hedges and greenery outside stations.

scholarly journals Premature Mortality for Chronic Diseases in the EU Member States

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (20) ◽  
pp. 4021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Megyesiova ◽  
Vanda Lieskovska
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Premature Mortality ◽  
Malignant Neoplasms ◽  
Gender Ratio ◽  
Member States ◽  
Death Rates ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Gap Closing ◽  
The Eu

Premature mortality, and especially premature mortality for chronic diseases, is a very important topic of public health, health care, or lifestyle of population. The main aim of countries is to reduce premature mortality, and therefore an analysis of the development and status of premature standardized death rates (SDR) is key for disclosure of successes or failures in this topic. A boxplot chart was used to detect extremes of SDR for both sexes. The gender ratio revealed the differences of mortality rates between men and women. Premature mortality declined steadily in the EU between 2000 and 2016. The men’s premature SDR decreased from 390 to 275.9 between 2000 and 2016, while the women’s rate declined from 180.1 to 138.2. On average, annual premature SDR dropped by 2.14% for men and 1.64% for women. Thus, the gender ratio (male/female) declined from 2.17 in 2000 to 2.0 in 2016, which is a positive change for gender gap closing. The highest proportion of premature mortality belonged to mortality for malignant neoplasms, where the rate was as high as 47% for women and 32% for men in 2016. Premature mortality for chronic disease is especially high in the “new” EU member states.

Secondary school students’ chemistry self-concepts: gender and culture, and the impact of chemistry self-concept on learning behaviour

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilith Rüschenpöhler ◽  
Silvija Markic
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Gender Relations ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
School Students ◽  
The Impact

While science self-concepts of secondary school students have received considerable attention, several important aspects of chemistry self-concepts have not yet been understood: gender relations, the impact of students' cultural backgrounds, and the impact of chemistry self-concept on learning processes. In the present study, (i) we could confirm our hypothesis that chemistry self-concept is strongly related to learning goal orientations. This part of the study built upon knowledge from educational psychology. Our results open the field for practical interventions designed to influence chemistry self-concepts. (ii) We investigated the gender relations in chemistry self-concept with a special focus on students’ cultural backgrounds. The results show that chemistry self-concept differs from science self-concept: the gender gap traditionally described in the literature could not be found. Instead, the study suggests that an interaction of gender and cultural background might influence chemistry self-concepts. (iii) We were interested in the influence of the context of chemistry classroom and language on self-concept. In line with the literature, we found that a good relationship with the chemistry teacher seems to have a positive impact on chemistry self-concept. Also, the perception of chemistry language and chemistry self-concepts were strongly correlated. Suggestions are made for practical interventions based on these findings.

Understanding the gender gap in school performance among low-income children

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Kingdon ◽  
Lisa A. Serbin ◽  
Dale M. Stack
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
School Performance ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Attention Problems ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Family Characteristics ◽  
Growth Curve Analysis ◽  
Academic Trajectories

Internationally, girls outperform boys in overall school performance. The gender gap is particularly large among those in at-risk groups, such as children from families at economic disadvantage. This study modeled the academic trajectories of a low-income sample of boys and girls from the Concordia Longitudinal Risk Project across the full course of schooling. Results from a multiple-group latent growth curve analysis revealed that children from this low-income sample demonstrated a significant decreasing trajectory of academic performance over time, which intensified after the transition from elementary to secondary schooling. A gender gap in academic performance emerged after the children transitioned to secondary school, with girls outperforming boys. Boys continued to experience greater academic decline than did girls across the secondary school years, and individual and family characteristics assessed in early elementary school predicted these academic trajectories. At school entry, boys showed higher levels of attention problems than did girls, which in turn predicted boys’ poorer school performance. However, boys with stronger reading skills and greater maternal school involvement during the early years of schooling were protected against declining academic performance across the secondary school years. Implications for prevention programs are discussed.

Discretely Deranged Squares

1990 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 318-320
Author(s):  
Paul O. Eckhardt
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
School Level ◽  
Discrete Mathematics ◽  
College Courses ◽  
College Mathematics ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
Secondary School Level ◽  
Set Of Permutations ◽  
The Waves

The waves of change in entry-level college mathematics should not go unnoticed by those of us who teach at the secondary school level. One such wave, discrete mathematics, is lapping on the shore of the calculus. Many of our students will elect or be required to take college courses that include discrete combinatoric concepts. The focus of this article is to examine a special set of permutations and some of their extensions.

scholarly journals LITERATE LIFE EXPECTANCY AND ITS GENDER DIFFERENTIALS IN OMAN

2019 ◽  
pp. 21-31
Author(s):  
M. Mazharul Islam ◽  
Md. Hasinur Rahaman Khan
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Composite Index ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Alternative Measure ◽  
Average Life Expectancy ◽  
Male Population ◽  
Female Population ◽  
Gender Differentials

Measuring human quality and well-being by the human development index (HDI) is very challenging as it is a composite index of many socio-economic variables. However, a simple index called literate life expectancy (LLE) by combining life expectancy and literacy only can be used as an alternative measure, which is less data intensive than HDI. LLE is the average life expectancy that a person lives under literate state. Length of life in literate state has many positive implications on social, economic and political aspects of life. In this paper an attempt has been made to construct LLE for Omani population with its gender differentials. The data for the study were extracted from the 2015 Statistical Year Book and the 2010 Population and Census report of Oman published by the National Centre for Statistics & Information. Despite socioeconomic progress, levels of education among women in Oman are not the same as men. The analysis shows the remarkable differences in the LLE between men and women for almost all age groups. The Omani female population is much lag behind in literate life expectancy than the Omani male population. The results underscore the need to take necessary steps for reducing gender gap in LLE in Oman.  

scholarly journals Population challenges from the gender perspective

2010 ◽  
pp. 23-32
Author(s):  
Ankica Sobot
Keyword(s):  
Gender Gap ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Gender Imbalance ◽  
Demographic Development ◽  
Male Population ◽  
Female Population ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Never Married ◽  
Demographic Processes

In this paper, population challenges are recognized from the perspective of various demographic structures of the male and female population. The larger scope of female population in Vojvodina is mainly the result of a more emphasized gender imbalance among the population of 65 or over. There are more unmarried females but more males among the never-married persons. Among the middle-aged population, there are more women with higher education, but they are also economically independent to a greater extent than the male population. Gender equality is a challenge as a factor of demographic processes and as an aspect of policies directed towards the population, but adequate responses for demographic development and social care of the population are implied by both male and female positions. By comparative approach, the characteristics of gender positions and differences in Vojvodina are noted, as well as the space for promoting positions of sexes and mitigation of the gender gap. The necessity for a deeper socio-demographic analysis and empirical research of gender differences as a relevant population challenge are also noted. .

scholarly journals Educational Robotics and the Gender Perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. 249-254
Author(s):  
Daniela Bagattini ◽  
Beatrice Miotti ◽  
Fiorella Operto
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Educational Robotics ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Educational Choices ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Gender Perspective ◽  
Family Expectations ◽  
The Future

AbstractIn this paper we explore the role of stereotypes in educational choices. Data on secondary school enrollments show that girls are abandoning STEM subjects. There are many reasons for this, including social and family expectations, but also the perception that jobs and careers in technical and scientific sectors will make it hard to take care of a family. This is an important theme for the future. The number of jobs in ICT will increase, and the low quantities of women in these sectors will have a strong impact on the availability of skilled workers, as well as increasing the gender gap. What is the role of school in this context? What activities can get more girls interested in science? We focus, in particular, on how innovative approaches such as educational robotics can help girls engage with STEM subjects, as happened with the “Roberta” project, whose results will be illustrated in this work.

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