AN EMPIRICAL INSIGHT INTO ACCEPTABILITY AND RESISTANCE TO FEMINIZATION IN STEM FIELDS AT THE HIGHER EDUCATION LEVEL

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the acceptability and resistance of females in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in higher education. Females are still facing challenges and different barriers in STEM education, which is why the number of females in STEM is low and is gradually changing with the passage of time. It has been based on an exploratory research design, i.e., qualitative, grounded in an extensive review of research published documents on the topic, i.e., feminization of STEM education, acceptance, and resistance. A total of 140 research documents have been systematically extracted from well-reputed digital databases and other academic resources available through the academic library, and the selection process has been continued until data saturation. The inclusion criteria of the study have required that selected studies explicitly address feminization of STEM education, be conducted within the context of higher education, and be published in well-recognized journals. Further, the thematic analysis technique has been employed to analyze the data qualitatively. The study findings reveal that momentous paces have been made in motivating and encouraging female participation in STEM fields, specifically in higher education. Precisely, higher education has been deeply embedded and interlinked with socio-cultural norms, gendered expectations, and institutional and structural barriers. Several factors often obstruct the motivation, performance, career ambitions, academic confidence, and job orientation of female students in STEM higher education.

Keywords: STEM Education, Higher Education, Acceptability, Resistance, Feminization