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Exploring the Gender Gap in Engineering: A Re‐Specification and Test of the Hypothesis of Cumulative Advantages and Disadvantages
Author(s) -
Haines Valerie A.,
Wallace Jean E.,
Can M. Elizabeth
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of engineering education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.896
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 2168-9830
pISSN - 1069-4730
DOI - 10.1002/j.2168-9830.2001.tb00659.x
Subject(s) - persistence (discontinuity) , engineering education , test (biology) , pipeline (software) , set (abstract data type) , gender gap , empirical research , engineering , psychology , computer science , mathematics , engineering management , demographic economics , mechanical engineering , economics , statistics , paleontology , geotechnical engineering , biology , programming language
Researchers using the hypothesis of cumulative advantages and disadvantages argue that the accumulation of small advantages for men and small disadvantages for women contributes to the gender gap in engineering. This paper uses data from a 1998 survey of engineering undergraduates to test a re‐specification of this hypothesis that treats the gender distribution of advantages and disadvantages as an empirical question. We considered four sets of factors that have been shown to promote choice of an engineering major, persistence in engineering, and progress in engineering: family background, high school participation in mathematics and science, university participation in engineering, and integration into engineering. We found gender differences for each set of factors. We also found that men and women accumulate different advantages and disadvantages as they move through the education pipeline. By demonstrating that the accumulation of advantages and disadvantages is gendered, these results highlight the importance of examining the impact of micro‐inequities on the persistence and progress of men and women in engineering.