Research Highlights Reasons Why Young Women Choose to Remain in Engineering

Education / Industry News

December 11, 2019

Research Highlights Reasons Why Young Women Choose to Remain in Engineering

Rather than looking at reasons why young women leave engineering, a new study by DiscoverE and the Concord Evaluation Group examines why women choose to stay.

The study, Despite the Odds: Young Women Who Persist in Engineering, is a comprehensive literature review looking to answer two questions: Why girls choose to pursue engineering in college; and what factors affect whether young women persist in engineering.

The report found seven key factors behind young women’s decision to stick with STEM:

• Interest in and positive attitudes toward engineering
• Recognition of the value of engineering as a profession
• Self confidence that they have the skills and knowledge to do the work
• Self-identifying as STEM professionals: “This is who I am”
• Having a strong support network
• Having the ability to draw strength from personal or cultural experiences and struggles
• Feeling a sense of belonging

“DiscoverE has published this study as a call to action to help to foster collaboration and explore further,” said DiscoverE Executive Director Leslie Collins. “We hope the success stories uncovered through this study can serve as a template so that young women looking at potential engineering careers can more easily make their way forward.”

Click here to download the study.

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