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Sri Lanka also appears to do relatively well in terms of gender representation in the broad field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. For instance, according to the University Grants Commission (UGC), females accounted for nearly half – or 49 percent – of undergraduate enrolments in STEM subjects in local universities in 2017, in comparison to a global figure of 35 percent.
Girls also do better than boys at school and university exams in general and available evidence at the early stages of education suggests that girls outperform boys in mathematics and science.
That said, significant gender differences in enrolments exist within STEM fields, which this article aims to shed some light on and discuss possible reasons and solutions.
A failure to sustain initial educational advantages in the key STEM fields in higher education (and employment) indicates that there is a large pool of unutilised intellect and creativity. This is both a waste of human capital and of government investments in free education.
Sri Lanka is also experiencing a current labour shortage in several areas, including science and technology, highlighting the importance of attracting capable individuals, including females who account for 54 percent of the 18 and above population, into such fields.
Moreover, in the context of an upcoming technology-driven Fourth Industrial Revolution, being equipped with STEM-related skills will be increasingly important to survive in the future labour market; in line with international evidence, recent research shows that, in Sri Lanka too, science and engineering professionals are some of the least vulnerable to computerisation.
Skewed enrolments in STEM
As Figures 1 and 2 indicate, while girls outnumber boys in both school and university enrolments in the biological sciences, there are far more boys in the physical sciences and related fields. Figure 1 shows that, among students enrolled in Sri Lankan public schools offering science education in higher grades, girls account for 70 percent in the biological sciences stream – a share even above that of the arts stream, a field typically associated with females – but for only 37 percent in physical sciences and a mere 12 percent in engineering technology.
Similarly, at undergraduate level, compared to the 74 percent of females enrolled in the allied health science programme and the 60 percent in medicine, only 24 percent are enrolled in engineering, while those in technology and computer science also remain below 50 percent.
Moreover, consistent with trends in other countries, girls’ representation in STEM even in the biological sciences, falls further at graduate level; the UGC statistics indicate that the female shares of those completing a bachelor’s degree in science falls to 60 percent and to a further 42 percent at postgraduate degree level, while the percentage of female engineering graduates remains in the 20s at graduate and postgraduate levels.
Possible reasons
While the overall low numbers of students pursuing STEM subjects in Sri Lanka has been attributed to limited opportunities – with only 10 percent of public schools offering STEM education at the collegiate level – and to a shortage of qualified and experienced teachers, there is limited research looking into reasons behind large gender differences in the uptake of different STEM subjects.
Evidence from a range of countries points to several factors that contribute towards female underrepresentation in physical science subjects, including: (1) negative stereotypes about girls’ competencies in subjects like mathematics, engineering and IT, which can lower exam performance as well as aspirations for engineering and other physical science-related careers over time; (2) social, cultural and gender norms, where girls are compelled to assess their mathematical competencies lower than boys with similar mathematical performance and to hold themselves to a higher standard than boys, believing that they have to be extraordinary to succeed in so-called ‘male’ fields; (3) a significant male advantage in cognitive abilities in the area of spatial skills –viewed as important for success in engineering and related fields – although recent advances in girls’ performance in mathematical subjects have challenged this argument and (4) lower job prospects for female engineers, with society judging women as less competent than men in ‘male’ jobs and considering women successful in ‘masculine’ jobs less likable.
http://www.dailymirror.lk/features/Girls-in-STEM-How-is-Sri-Lanka-faring/185-182942
Girls also do better than boys at school and university exams in general and available evidence at the early stages of education suggests that girls outperform boys in mathematics and science.
That said, significant gender differences in enrolments exist within STEM fields, which this article aims to shed some light on and discuss possible reasons and solutions.
A failure to sustain initial educational advantages in the key STEM fields in higher education (and employment) indicates that there is a large pool of unutilised intellect and creativity. This is both a waste of human capital and of government investments in free education.
Sri Lanka is also experiencing a current labour shortage in several areas, including science and technology, highlighting the importance of attracting capable individuals, including females who account for 54 percent of the 18 and above population, into such fields.
Moreover, in the context of an upcoming technology-driven Fourth Industrial Revolution, being equipped with STEM-related skills will be increasingly important to survive in the future labour market; in line with international evidence, recent research shows that, in Sri Lanka too, science and engineering professionals are some of the least vulnerable to computerisation.
Skewed enrolments in STEM
As Figures 1 and 2 indicate, while girls outnumber boys in both school and university enrolments in the biological sciences, there are far more boys in the physical sciences and related fields. Figure 1 shows that, among students enrolled in Sri Lankan public schools offering science education in higher grades, girls account for 70 percent in the biological sciences stream – a share even above that of the arts stream, a field typically associated with females – but for only 37 percent in physical sciences and a mere 12 percent in engineering technology.
Similarly, at undergraduate level, compared to the 74 percent of females enrolled in the allied health science programme and the 60 percent in medicine, only 24 percent are enrolled in engineering, while those in technology and computer science also remain below 50 percent.
Moreover, consistent with trends in other countries, girls’ representation in STEM even in the biological sciences, falls further at graduate level; the UGC statistics indicate that the female shares of those completing a bachelor’s degree in science falls to 60 percent and to a further 42 percent at postgraduate degree level, while the percentage of female engineering graduates remains in the 20s at graduate and postgraduate levels.
Possible reasons
While the overall low numbers of students pursuing STEM subjects in Sri Lanka has been attributed to limited opportunities – with only 10 percent of public schools offering STEM education at the collegiate level – and to a shortage of qualified and experienced teachers, there is limited research looking into reasons behind large gender differences in the uptake of different STEM subjects.
Evidence from a range of countries points to several factors that contribute towards female underrepresentation in physical science subjects, including: (1) negative stereotypes about girls’ competencies in subjects like mathematics, engineering and IT, which can lower exam performance as well as aspirations for engineering and other physical science-related careers over time; (2) social, cultural and gender norms, where girls are compelled to assess their mathematical competencies lower than boys with similar mathematical performance and to hold themselves to a higher standard than boys, believing that they have to be extraordinary to succeed in so-called ‘male’ fields; (3) a significant male advantage in cognitive abilities in the area of spatial skills –viewed as important for success in engineering and related fields – although recent advances in girls’ performance in mathematical subjects have challenged this argument and (4) lower job prospects for female engineers, with society judging women as less competent than men in ‘male’ jobs and considering women successful in ‘masculine’ jobs less likable.
http://www.dailymirror.lk/features/Girls-in-STEM-How-is-Sri-Lanka-faring/185-182942
