Family Friendly STEM: Perspectives on Recruiting and Retaining Women in STEM Fields
Keywords:
family roles, STEM, gender, retention, recruitmentAbstract
The under-representation of women in STEM has received considerable research attention as scholars attempt to uncover predictors of girls’ and women’s choice of STEM careers. Our work suggests that congruity between one’s family goals and the perception that STEM careers afford those goals may be important in increasing girls’ and women’s interest and motivation toward STEM. In this paper, we discuss women’s family goals as a factor that affects career choice and the perception that STEM fields may not be compatible with caring for one’s family. We then present studies that have aimed to increase the congruity between these constructs, and suggest ways that STEM careers can be perceived as “family-friendly” and ultimately change in themselves to become “family-friendly.”
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