Perspectives and experiences of gender inclusion for STEM programs through an intersectional lens

Background: STEM is becoming increasingly important in determining a country's economic and social progress. Despite decades of research and advocacy, women remain underrepresented in STEM education and professions. Such STEM gender gaps, with certain regional and subject differentiations, nevertheless remain as global issues further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Informal educational initiatives on GIFSTEM (gender inclusion for STEM) emerged as part of the solution. In recent years, they also have attracted increasing partnership and investment interests from the public and private sectors. However, relatively little evidence exists to demonstrate how the impacts of GIFSTEM initiatives are experienced by different participants, particularly those outside the US. There are also increasing questions about the monolithic framing of gender in these programs.
Research Design: This research evaluates the experiences of learners and project leaders of GIFSTEM organizations in a range of geographical settings through an intersectional lens. In this qualitative study, data is collected through 13 individual online semi-structured interviews. Participants represent two groups, those who are learners (both past and present), and those who are project organizers and leaders of different GIFSTEM organizations.
Findings: Data from interviews show that learners find GIFSTEM programs helpful in three ways: community, networking-mentoring, as well as a broadened understanding of possible paths in STEM education and professions. Depending on their intersectional identities, learners also experience two barriers, heightened visibility and feelings of exclusion due to identity metrics other than gender, that make them feel uncertain about remaining in STEM. Furthermore, learner participants feel that GIFSTEM programs do little, sometimes even the opposite, in mitigating these issues. Project leader interviews demonstrate that, depending on the specific programming goals, different numerical metrics are used, in combination with qualitative data from individual participations, for impact measurements of their affiliated GIFSTEM organization. Project leaders also have to make a series of pragmatic considerations in the process of developing and implementing a sustainable GIFSTEM organization. For instance, decisions regarding target learner demographics, program contextualization, and navigating relationships with commercial partners. In the end, individual GIFSTEM organizations must make strategic and difficult decisions depending on their operational contexts to reach their respective end goals.
Acronyms:
GIFSTEM: gender inclusion for STEM
GIFT: gender inclusion for Tech (a specific subset of GIFSTEM initiatives)
CS: Computer Science
EE: Electrical Engineering
FAANG: An acronym describing five prominent American technology companies: Facebook(Meta), Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google (Hobbs, 2022).

Keywords: qualitative research
interviews
cross-cultural education
inclusive education
gender inclusion for STEM
intersectionality
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Advisor: Hakimi, L