Abstract:

The persistent underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields remains a global concern across secondary and tertiary education levels, despite numerous studies displaying women's capabilities in these areas. Notably, a significant divergence from STEM occurs among women during compulsory secondary education, particularly between the ages of 13 and 15. This trend directly correlates with the limited presence of women in traditionally male-dominated professions, which contribute substantially to economic value generation. The existing scientific literature underscores a worsening of this situation in subsequent educational stages, including post-compulsory secondary and university education, leading to a notable underrepresentation of women in the labor market. Research, primarily conducted at the university level, reveals that both the performance and retention rates of women in STEM subjects are comparable to those of men. Consequently, the underrepresentation of women in STEM is attributed not to their abilities or performance but rather to low levels of enrolment in these disciplines.

In this context, while most of the studies on the matter are focused on the students, this work approaches the matter from the point of view of the university academic staff (lectures and professors), and the scope is the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). The methodology used consists of analysing the gender distribution of the academic staff in STEM degrees, and doctoral programs. The results indicate that 49,3% of the UPV/EHU academic staff are women, but just 39,2% are in STEM degrees. As the education level increases, the involvement is lower with 31,4% of female supervisors in STEM doctoral programs, and 29,8% that did supervise any thesis in 2022.

Keywords:

STEM, doctoral studies, female supervisors, UPV/EHU.