The choice of study is often gender-based, since there are existing obstacles and attitudes that affect the individual’s choice. This is obvious in many subjects, for example in nursing and social science, which are female dominated, and in male dominated subjects like science, engineering and technology.
When this is stressed out, it’s not a criticism on those females that choose to study nursing or males that wish to study engineering, but saying that we need to remove obstacles and break stereotypes, that prevent individuals from choosing male/ female dominated subjects, based on the strong feeling that they don’t belong there.
What are the obstacles?
Researches have shown that females tend to base their study choice on subjects that provide them with jobs where they can contribute to the society, while males tend to chose subjects that are considered more practical and useful, and provide stable jobs and income.
However, these tendencies do not fully explain the gender-based choices of study fields and career paths. There are two other significant factors that lead to male/ female exclusion in certain study fields: The pre-existing stereotypes that reinforce male/ female dominance during the studies and in the labour market; and the lack of role models providing information about career paths and possibilites, and gender based obstacles students might face.
What measures can be taken to prevent this?
This can be fought in several ways, mainly by raising awareness on the existing gender stereotypes and the traditional ideas about gender and the labour market.
The universites can also take several effective measures in order to combat this. They can for example change the structures of the study presentations and information given to future students, by considering these obstacles.
Firstly, it’s very important to provide students with role models from the very beginning, to act as motivating examples for male and female students when selecting degrees. It could therefore be effective to let a female professor in science, and a male professor in nursing, give the study presentations for possible future students.
Secondly, if taken into account what researches have shown - i.e. that females rather seek to study a subject where they can contribute to society and males seek to study something practical which provides stable jobs and income – the presentations should focus on the practical and useful aspects of nursing and social science, and how you can use your degree and knowledge to contribute to the society after studying science, engineering and technology.
Thirdly, in order to break the existing gender stereotypes, universities should for example display a photo of a male student on the cover of an information brochure about nursing studies, and in the same manner a female student in science, engineering and technology.
These are just few examples of measures that can be taken in order to increase the access to education and remove the obstacles faced when chosing a learning path. But the fight doesn’t end there. Accessing higher education is only the first obstacle to overcome, followed by numerous other gender-based obstacles that also need to be tackled, but will be easier if the first battle is won.
GEC
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