MINT: Three Quarters of Parents See Boys as More Suitable

One reason for this may lie in the role of parents: Three-quarters consider boys more suitable for STEM than girls, according to a study presented on Tuesday. Additionally, parents have reservations about STEM careers in terms of working conditions and family compatibility.

For the study commissioned by the MINTality Foundation, nearly 1,400 parents in Austria with at least one daughter between the ages of ten and 19 were surveyed online. As a comparison group, nearly 500 parents who only have sons were included. Compared to the general population, the sample was better educated.

Parents are a central factor in their children's career choices - they play an important role in educational and career orientation. Accordingly, existing stereotypes among them influence their offspring. And such stereotypes still exist: 76 percent perceive boys as more suitable for STEM than girls.

Attitudes remain persistent

For the survey, parents were presented with five items with assessments such as "Who is better suited for a job in a STEM field?" or "Who enjoys STEM tasks more?" It was shown that they consistently preferred boys - even though the differences were not too large at 54 and 56 percent, according to study leader Elisabeth Gsottbauer (Free University of Bozen).

These assessments also have a direct impact on so-called STEM investments: "This is a very clear hurdle: Those who consider girls less suitable also invest less in STEM activities for their daughters," said Gsottbauer.

Discrepancies between parents' dream job for their daughter and STEM careers

Another result: The discrepancies between the parents' dream job for their daughter and STEM careers are significant: For the future job, parents consider it particularly important that the work is interesting (94 percent), has good health and safety conditions (93 percent), offers job security (85 percent), and allows enough time for the family (85 percent). However, these characteristics apply to STEM careers to a significantly lesser extent for parents - only 81 percent find them interesting, 60 percent attribute good health and safety conditions to them, 58 percent job security, and 41 percent family compatibility.

Additionally, the question was explored whether positive narratives about STEM careers changed parents' attitudes. A group was shown videos to dispel prejudices - these were indeed useful, but only in the short term. They were then more willing to invest in STEM opportunities for their daughter. Limitation: A follow-up survey showed that their attitudes had not changed. Long-term effects could only be achieved through concrete calls to action.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.