Affluence and the gender gap in STEM study choices

A surprising finding from recent social science research is that the difference between men and women in the choice for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields of study is greater in wealthier and more gender-egalitarian countries. In Norway, for example, women are far less represented in STEM than in Algeria. This counter-intuitive finding is known as the Gender- Equality Paradox (GEP). The paradox is often explained by economic opportunities and preferences for gendered self- expression. Norwegian men and women and men are more affluent than Algerian men and women and can therefore follow their (socialized) gender preferences more, resulting in fewer women in STEM. However, there hardly exist tests of this explanation. It is unknown whether and how parental household affluence affects men`s and women`s STEM study preferences and choices, let alone whether household affluence accounts for GEP. This project aims to address these research gaps and answer four research questions: (a) How does parental household affluence affect men`s and women`s STEM study preferences and choices?; (b) To what extent can household affluence account for the Gender-Equality-Paradox?; (c) How can we account for household affluence effects on men`s and women`s STEM study preferences and choices?; (d) To what extent are household affluence effects strengthened or weakened by societal factors such as economic development, welfare provision, and socio-economic inequality? We answer the research questions in six studies. The first two studies use cross-national comparative data to test the effect of household wealth on gendered STEM preferences, to test whether household wealth can account for GEP, and to test country-level moderators of household affluence effects. The other four studies focus on Germany for substantive reasons (Germany has a pronounced vocational education) and data reasons (Germany has unique longitudinal data). We test the effect of detailed household affluence measures on gendered STEM study choices, test whether state-level factors moderate these effects, test mediating factors of these effects, and test the moderating effect of study-major traits. In doing so, the project aims to address gaps in the specific research literatures and sheds more light on the conditions for greater female representation in STEM.