In Chile, as in the rest of the world, women have considerably lower participation than men in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Although this is a deeply rooted reality in society, efforts to encourage more women to pursue these areas and break gender gaps are increasing.
Some challenges stemming from the underrepresentation of women in STEM careers are related to the replication of socioeconomic inequalities, as these are precisely the careers with better employment and income prospects. Additionally, these gaps have many other effects on society. For example, studies suggest that the low representation of women in these fields leads to biases in science and technology production, affecting crucial aspects such as drug development or medical advancements.
According to education expert and director of CENTRE UC, Ernesto Treviño, this underrepresentation originates in the early years of life and is replicated at each stage of educational and professional life.
You have addressed gender inequality in STEM disciplines. In 2019, you were part of a study on how gender impacts interactions with teachers in mathematics classes in Chile. Can you tell me a bit about your findings?
Through the study “The inclusion of girls in Chilean mathematics classrooms: gender bias in teacher-student interaction networks,” we found that, in general, teachers in mathematics classrooms, whether male or female, interact more with male students than with female students. We observed that for girls to receive the same level of attention as boys, they had to be in the top 10% of grades in their class.
What factors may be influencing this phenomenon?
In analyzing what happens in the classroom, we identified two or three main factors. First, we noticed that in fifth grade, boys tend to have more confidence to participate, whether they know the answer to a question or not. This reflects a self-esteem and risk-taking issue. On the other hand, boys are usually more restless and seek more attention from the teacher, while girls tend to be more reserved and participate at specific moments. This behavior may result from a process of socialization from an early age.
From what age can these differences be observed, and how does it relate to the roles society assigns to each gender?
These differences can be observed from the early years at home, where girls are often guided towards caregiving roles, while boys are more inclined towards physical or logical thinking activities. This reflects a sexist culture that implicitly or explicitly influences role assignments. Reversing these trends is a challenge since we often aren’t even aware of them, as they are an integral part of our culture.
How can we effectively address these differences?
The first step is to bring this reality to light, study it, and discuss it. We must promote equity from an early age, challenging gender roles and fostering more inclusive attitudes at home and in school. This involves changing parenting patterns and offering equitable opportunities for all children and youth at different stages, unlinking gender expectations from individual capabilities. It’s about decoupling the prejudices one has regarding who can excel in one thing or another. Looking at ourselves in the mirror and understanding that sometimes we think we’re equitable, but in practice, we mainly evaluate girls based on aspects like order or behavior, while we expect more cognitive challenges from boys.
In that sense, there’s a bias that boys are usually better at areas like logical and mathematical thinking, just as it’s believed that girls are better in caregiving roles due to their empathy and sensitivity. Do these biases affect girls’ outcomes or abilities?
Yes, these biases affect girls’ outcomes. There’s a paradoxical situation; although girls often have better grades than boys in all subjects during school, including mathematics or science, when it comes to exams, currently PAES, they tend to perform worse in evaluations. This can be attributed to lower self-esteem in contexts where they feel assessed in areas they believe they’re not good at. This, of course, impacts their career choices and contributes to the lack of equitable representation in various disciplines.
What elements do you think are essential to fostering girls’ and young women’s confidence in STEM areas, and how can this challenge be addressed in schools?
I believe it’s crucial to change how we teach and learn by adopting more practical and applied methodologies, such as project-based learning. This allows students to understand the relevance of concepts in real life and promotes collaboration, critical thinking, and role rotation. Additionally, we must ensure that girls have leading roles in activities, promoting an inclusive and exploratory environment that allows them to develop their interests and skills without gender restrictions.
