Citation
Riegle-Crumb, C., & King, B. (2011). Questioning a white male advantage in STEM: Examining disparities in college major by gender and race/ethnicity. Educational Researcher, 39(9), 656-664.
Highlights
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- The study's objective was to examine differences in students’ likelihood of majoring in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field, based on gender and ethnicity.
- The study used statistical methods to estimate the likelihood of majoring in the physical sciences or engineering, or in the biological sciences, versus non-STEM fields. The authors also examined this likelihood for traditionally underrepresented groups (white, black, and Hispanic women and black and Hispanic men) compared to white men. The analyses controlled for student socioeconomic factors, delayed college entry, academic preparation, and attitudes toward math. Data sources included students’ high school transcripts and surveys conducted through the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002.
- The study found that white and Hispanic women were less likely to major in the physical sciences or engineering, versus a non-STEM major, than white men. Black women were also less likely to major in a physical science or engineering field than white men, but the gap was slightly smaller.
- In contrast to the large gender gaps evident in the choice of physical science and engineering majors, there were no differences between the gender/ethnicity groups in the likelihood of majoring in a biological sciences field compared to a non-STEM field. The study found that academic preparation and attitudes toward math rarely explained why men were more likely to choose a STEM major than women.
Reviewed by CLEAR
March 2016