Gender Inequities Throughout STEM: Compared to Men, Women with Significantly Higher Grades Drop STEM Majors

TL;DR

This study analyzes ten years of university data revealing gender disparities in STEM, showing women who drop majors often have higher grades than men who persist, highlighting systemic inequities.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence of gender-based grade trends and drop patterns in STEM, offering insights for promoting equity and inclusion.

Findings

Women who drop STEM majors often have higher grades than men.

Women who drop majors have comparable grades to men who stay in the same majors.

Gender disparities in STEM persist despite similar or higher academic performance by women.

Abstract

Efforts to promote equity and inclusion using evidence-based approaches are vital to correcting long-standing societal inequities that have disadvantaged women and discouraged them from pursuing studies, including in many STEM disciplines. We used 10 years of institutional data from a large public university to investigate the grade point average trends in different STEM disciplines for men and women who declared a major and then either completed the degree or dropped the major after declaring it. We found alarming trends, such as that women who dropped majors on average earned higher grades than men, and in some STEM majors, women who dropped the majors were earning comparable grades to men who persisted in those majors. While these quantitative findings call for a deeper understanding of the reasons women and men drop a major, we provide suggestions for approaches to make learning environments more equitable and inclusive so that traditionally excluded stereotyped groups can have a higher sense of belonging and thrive.