Gender Equity in STEM in Higher Education
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“Gender, STEM, and education are mainstays of global economic and develop- ment agendas, but finally Ro, Fernandez, and Ramon have created a broadly representative collection of empirical and conceptual work that addresses issues of access at the institutional level alongside accounts of the experiences and choices that individual women make as part of their everyday experiences and inequities as they participate in STEM education and eventually in their profes- sional lives as well. This volume bridges the macro-to-micro gap better than any I’ve seen on this topic.” – Alexander W. Wiseman, Professor of Educational Psychology & Leadership, Texas Tech University, USA “The editors and contributors of this penetrating volume fill a hole in the comparative higher education literature. Readers will appreciate the attention to the worldwide pipeline, to intersectionality, and to policy approaches that may effect greater gender equity in STEM at a global level.” – David M. Post, Professor of Education at Pennsylvania State University and Past-President of Comparative and International Education Society, USA “A talented group of emerging scholars have spearheaded a timely contribu- tion to STEM higher education on six continents. It will, undoubtedly, make significant contributions to factors affecting linkages among gender and uni- versity enrollments and degree completions. This anthology impressively dis- cusses topics – culture, demographics, geography, and statistics – as variables, contributing to enhanced comprehension of STEM and its impact on higher education among different types of university structures.” – Beverly Lindsay, Co-Director and Principal Investigator, Division of Social Sci- ences, University of California, USA “Gender Equity in STEM provides a balance and much needed examination of gender and STEM at the global level, and, across ten countries. The balance of statistical analyses of patterns over time, and deeper qualitative examinations of specific dynamics offers readers a nuanced understanding of gender and STEM beyond assumptions about lack of preparation for girls, gender stereotyping, and chilly cli- mates within STEM fields. It is an important book for moving our thinking beyond equality toward understanding and action for equity. The collection of case studies, both quantitative and qualitative, contextualize how gender in STEM fields plays out and what inhibits or enables equitable practices and outcomes.” – Karen Monkman, Professor Emerita of Education Policy, DePaul University, USA “Science is the hope of the world yet most of the world is excluded from it. Gender is a barrier everywhere and more so for those emerging women sci- entists that must contend with English as a second language, patchy infra- structure and opportunities and the brutal embedded heritage of racism that permeates many post-colonial settings. In this important and timely volume Hyun Kyoung Ro, Frank Fernandez and Elizabeth Ramon help us to respect what has been achieved and also remind us how far there is to go.” – Simon Marginson, Professor of Higher Education, University of Oxford, UK, and Joint Editor in Chief of Higher Education Gender Equity in STEM in Higher Education This timely volume brings together a range of international scholars to analyse cultural, political, and individual factors which contribute to the continued global issue of female underrepresentation in STEM study and careers. Offering a comparative approach to examining gender equity in STEM fields across countries including the UK, Germany, the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Africa, and China, the volume provides a thematic breakdown of institutional trends and national policies that have successfully improved gender equity in STEM at institutions of higher education. Offering case studies that demonstrate how policies interact with changing social and cultural norms, and impact women’s choices and experiences in relation to the uptake and continuation of STEM study at the undergraduate level, the volume highlights new directions for research and policy to promote gender equity in STEM at school, university, and career levels. Contributing to the United Nations’ (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, this text will benefit researchers, academics, and educators with an interest in science education, higher education, and gender equity in STEM fields. The text will also support further discussion and reflection around multicultural education, educational policy and politics, and the sociology of education more broadly. Hyun Kyoung Ro is Associate Professor of Counseling and Higher Educa- tion at the University of North Texas, USA. Frank Fernandez is Assistant Professor of Higher Education at the Uni- versity of Florida, USA. Elizabeth J. Ramon is a PhD student in Counseling and Higher Education at the University of North Texas, USA. Routledge Research in STEM Education The Routledge Research in STEM Education series is home to cutting-edge, upper- level scholarly studies and edited collections covering STEM Education. Considering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, texts address a broad range of topics including pedagogy, curriculum, policy, tea- cher education, and the promotion of diversity within STEM programmes. Titles offer dynamic interventions into established subjects and innovative studies on emerging topics. An Asset-Based Approach to Advancing Latina Students in STEM Increasing Resilience, Participation, and Success Edited by Elsa M. Gonzalez, Frank Fernandez, and Miranda Wilson Teacher Education to Enhance Diversity in STEM Applying a Critical Postmodern Science Pedagogy A. Anthony Ash II, Greg A. Wiggan, and Marcia J. Watson-Vandiver Teaching Early Algebra through Example-Based Problem Solving Insights from Chinese and U.S. Elementary Classrooms Meixia Ding Gender Equity in STEM in Higher Education International Perspectives on Policy, Institutional Culture, and Individual Choice Edited by Hyun Kyoung Ro, Frank Fernandez, and Elizabeth J. Ramon Mathematics Education for Sustainable Economic Growth and Job Creation Edited by David Burghes and Jodie Hunter For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/ Routledge-Research-in-STEM-Education/book-series/RRSTEM Gender Equity in STEM in Higher Education International Perspectives on Policy, Institutional Culture, and Individual Choice Edited by Hyun Kyoung Ro, Frank Fernandez, and Elizabeth J. Ramon First published 2022 by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 and by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Hyun Kyoung Ro, Frank Fernandez, and Elizabeth J. Ramon; individual chapters, the contributors The right of Hyun Kyoung Ro, Frank Fernandez, and Elizabeth J. Ramon to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this title has been requested ISBN: 978-0-367-51293-4 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-04803-1 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-05321-7 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003053217 Typeset in Baskerville by Taylor & Francis Books For Jiyoon and Joonhee for whom I hope to fight for gender equity through education wherever they decide to live. Hyun Kyoung Ro For Autumn and Reagan who have shown me how resi- lient children can be and how well they can learn when they are safe, healthy, and unconditionally loved. Frank Fernandez For Rebecca whose many inventions and experiments have shown me that girls are natural scientists. Elizabeth J. Ramon Contents List of Illustrations xi List of Contributors xiii Foreword xx Acknowledgements xxiv 1 Introduction: Gender Equity in STEM in Higher Education: International Perspectives on Policy, Institutional Culture, and Individual Choice 1 HYUN KYOUNG RO, ELIZABETH J. RAMON AND FRANK FERNANDEZ PART 1 Demographic Trends and National Initiatives 11 2 A Cross-National Analysis of Women Graduates with Tertiary Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, 1998–2018: Commonalties and Variations 13 SEUNGAH S. LEE, CHRISTINE MIN WOTIPKA AND FRANCISCO O. RAMIREZ 3 The Rise of Women in STEM Higher Education in China: Achievements and Challenges 27 LIU LINGYU, SHEN WENQIN AND LI CHAO 4 The Higher Education Trajectories of Taiwanese Women in STEM: A Longitudinal Analysis 45 YUAN CHIH FU, AMELIO SALVADOR QUETZAL AND YUEHLUEN HU 5 STEM Bachelor’s Degree Attainment among Women of Color in the United States: Using Geographic Analysis for Gender and Racial Equity Research 62 HYUN KYOUNG RO, YI MENG AND QIONG ZHU x Contents 6 A Comprehensive Approach to Addressing Gender Equity in STEM Subjects at Four-Year Universities in England 85 HYUN KYOUNG RO, FRANK FERNANDEZ AND BENJAMIN ALCOTT PART 2 Women’s Choice and University Contexts 103 7 Women in STEM in Chilean Higher Education: Social Movements and Institutional Transformations 105 JEONGEUN KIM AND SERGIO CELIS 8 Examining Gender (In)Equality in German Engineering: Considering the Importance