STEM Careers and their Gender Stereotypes in Educational Decision-Making in the Brunca Region
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| Autoren: | , , , |
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| Format: | artículo |
| Status: | Versión publicada |
| Publikationsdatum: | 2026 |
| Beschreibung: | Introduction. Stereotypes reinforce gender gaps, influence the development of identities, and affect educational aspirations of teenage girls. Objective. Due to scarce research on gender and education at pre-university levels in Costa Rica, this mixed study with a convergent-parallel design seeks to understand persistent stereotypes in the Brunca Region on becoming a professional woman in STEM careers. Methodology. The quantitative phase employed a cross-sectional design using two randomized surveys of 56 women in STEM careers and 43 teenagers soon to finish their high school education in the region. The qualitative phase included 6 focus groups with high schoolers, 7 interviews with their guidance counselors, and 7 with STEM teachers. To carry out the data analysis, the quantitative and qualitative data were processed independently to identify categories, themes, and statistics. The data was later combined to facilitate the interpretation of convergences and divergences. In the case of the qualitative data, a deductive thematic coding process was used, based on categories defined from the research objectives and the study’s conceptual framework. The statistical data was integrated with the qualitative analysis to provide details of the experiences reported. Results. The study identified four gender stereotypes that impede young women from pursuing STEM careers: traditional role expectations that prevent women from pursuing higher education, the need for innate skills needed for STEM professions, the persistent disparity over gender and career choice, and the requirement for exceptional abilities in STEM careers. Conclusions. Stereotypes discourage female participation, and there is a need to promote more inclusion in these careers. Schools, universities, and public institutions should consider gender-sensitive vocational guidance strategies, increase visibility of female role models in STEM, and uphold awareness initiatives for students, educators, and families. |
| Land: | Portal de Revistas UNA |
| Institution: | Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica |
| Repositorio: | Portal de Revistas UNA |
| Sprache: | Español |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:www.revistas.una.ac.cr:article/21318 |
| Online Zugang: | https://www.revistas.una.ac.cr/index.php/EDUCARE/article/view/21318 |
| Stichwort: | educación estereotipos de género mujeres adolescentes Carreras STEM ODS 4 educación de calidad acceso a la educación STEM careers education gender stereotypes teenage girls SDG 4 quality education access to education Gender Stereotypes carreiras STEM educação raparigas adolescentes educação de qualidade acesso à educação estereótipos de género |