Introducing the gender perspective into STEM education

SILVINA PONCE DAWSON

Taipei (online)

Otro; STEM+ Education for School Girls, Women and Teacher Professional Development; 2021

The fraction of women with access to higher education studies has increased steadily for a long time now. This growth, however, has not occurred at the same pace in all disciplines. In particular, women are under-represented in many STEM fields in most countries. Women in research institutions, on the other hand, are usually not as well recognized as their men colleagues affecting the advancement in their careers and their visibility. All these aspects reinforce gender stereotypes that not only affect career choices but also have a direct influence on students? performance at all levels. Gender stereotypes are quite pervasive across societies and are still present in textbooks and in the teaching process. Raising awareness is a necessary step to reduce these stereotypes. In this talk I will briefly describe some pathways that can be followed to make STEM education more inclusive. In particular, I will discuss our experience in Latin America with the workshops on professional development with a gender perspective that we are seeking to incorporate formally into PhD programs. This experience could be replicated in teacher education institutions and, in this way, contribute to the full development of people of all genders and backgrounds in STEM fields.