Impact of Socio-Economic Factors on Female Students’ Enrollments in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and Workplace Challenges in Bangladesh

There is nearly equal number of male and female student enrollments in primary and secondary level of education in Bangladesh, but at the tertiary level and at the job sector, a sharp drop in the number of women is observed. This paper explores the current status of female students’ enrollment in sc...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe American behavioral scientist (Beverly Hills) Vol. 67; no. 9; pp. 1104 - 1121
Main Authors Ahmed, Nova, Chowdhury, Arshad M., Urmi, Tamanna, Jamal, Lafifa
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.08.2023
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
College students
COVID-19
Data
Economic factors
Education
Education policy
Educational attainment
Educational systems
Engineering
Enrollments
Females
Higher education
Mathematics
Qualitative research
Science and technology
Secondary education
Secondary school students
Socioeconomic factors
STEM education
Women
Workplaces
Bangladesh
tertiary education
Bangladesh
workplace concern
science
technology
math
engineering
gender issues
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:There is nearly equal number of male and female student enrollments in primary and secondary level of education in Bangladesh, but at the tertiary level and at the job sector, a sharp drop in the number of women is observed. This paper explores the current status of female students’ enrollment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at the tertiary education system in Bangladesh. It is followed by explorations of challenges women face in technical workplace. Quantitative data for the paper come from more than 1.18 million students at tertiary level from eight public and private universities for three academic years from 2018 to 2020. In addition, a qualitative study was conducted with 48 participants in pre- and during COVID-19 eras to understand barriers hampering women in STEM-related education and jobs. The paper provides a guideline for future policies to ensure inclusive space for growth and retention for women in STEM.
ISSN:0002-7642
1552-3381
DOI:10.1177/00027642221078517