34th Annual Student Research Conference
The Impact of Gender on Collegiate Major Choice
Jessica Schell
Dr. Anton Daughters, Faculty Mentor
Research shows that there is a clear divide in the majors that men and women choose in college. This divide aligns well with the workforce divide, which contributes to the large difference in earnings between men and women. This research seeks to understand why women and men choose the majors they do. Semi-structured interviews and surveys sent to students at Truman State University in the fall of 2020 indicate that women who choose fields outside of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) often are swayed by several factors. The societal pressures placed on young women to adhere to more traditional gendered careers are still felt, and when these women choose to fight against this pressure, they find that often their male colleagues make them feel alienated.
Keywords:
Topic(s):Sociology
Presentation Type: Asynchronous Virtual Oral Presentation
Session: 19-9
Location: https://flipgrid.com/4edd27c9
Time: 0:00