Undergraduate research experiences are a key to maintaining women in STEM undergraduate programs

When many people think about scientific research, they think about medical trials. While healthcare does produce quite a bit of human-centric research, the vast majority of research in STEM is likely only understood by people within the field. This research at undergraduate institutions is often conducted under the view of head researchers/professors, and completed by a team of graduate and undergraduate students. This research, in most STEM fields, is based on scientific curiosity, and thirst for understanding of how innate scientific or mathematical functions work. In order for a student to succeed in STEM ranks, it may seem natural that this curiosity and the technical experiences that accompany working in a lab would be necessary, however these positions are often not offered to young female students.

According to research conducted by Harsh et al. on the impact of undergraduate research experiences in STEM fields on both female and male students, as well as other underrepresented groups, the benefits of these research experiences disproportionately benefit women, especially in regard to their self-efficacy and interest in science.15 Experiences in research are considered as “one of the most powerful of instructional tools”, because of the “student-mentor relationship, peer interactions, and participation in professional research conferences.”27 Their findings indicated that men and women perceive similar benefits from participation in undergraduate research experiences, focusing on how “exposure to genuine research was strongly considered the most valued attribute across genders.27 In addition, respondents commonly cited the importance of undergraduate research experiences in building confidence to conduct research, development of basic laboratory techniques, and maintenance of interest in science.”27 Several studies on undergraduate research experiences reported “participant gains in the maintenance of interest in STEM fields, increased self confidence in science and research, improved student attitudes toward science, enhanced science identities (i.e. how individuals view themselves with respect to science).”27 Considering this data, it should be compelling that advisors should be encouraging female students to pursue undergraduate research experiences, though through the balance of majority male professors and differential treatment towards female students as described here, the preferential choice of male student researchers hinders the female students.

In regard to pursuing a graduate education, which in the STEM fields is the typical route when following an academic track, the percentage of women is decreased even compared to undergraduate data. If the goal is to promote the equality of the genders in advanced studies in STEM fields, the involvement of female students in programs that will encourage their attendance in graduate school should be considered. Findings suggest that while research participation plays a “motivational role for both genders, such experiences had a stronger association for women entering graduate school than their male peers. These findings support prior literature on the role of authentic research experiences in providing women a means to mediate intrinsic gender-based filters through the enhancement of self-confidence by ‘doing science’”. Female participation in undergraduate research experiences clearly contributes to the “circumvention or alleviation of barriers that commonly affect women in pursuit of science careers”, meaning that the involvement of women in these experiences should be encourages by the schools and advisors who are aware of the gender gap in applicable programs.

From a personal standpoint, I can attest that my current involvement in a reproductive endocrinology lab has dramatically increased my belief in my own scientific abilities, has allowed me to build relationships with my mentoring researchers, and has encouraged me to pursue a research role in graduate school.

To read more about a Dichotomy of Realities - An Analysis of Gender and STEM at the University of Wyoming, click here.

References can be found here.