Abstract:

The underrepresentation of women and girls in STEM subjects is a deep-rooted and complex societal problem. Recent research and real-world initiatives have shown that there are ways to reduce gender bias, increase the perceived and actual social relevance of STEM subjects and ultimately strengthen women’s sense of belonging in these fields.

The Erasmus Plus project Girls Go STEM focuses on promoting women's access to STEM higher education and retention in science and technology careers, as well as changing perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, social norms and stereotypes towards women in STEM fields in society. The vision of the project is a society where girls are confident leaders in STEM entrepreneurship and contribute to their community and the economy.

The innovative approach we have developed in this project is based on improving gender-specific STEM education. The innovation runs through all phases of the project. We are developing gender-specific career guidance to encourage girls to take an interest in STEM careers and professions through the development of an online platform. We provide innovative use of existing technical labs for hands-on experience and role modeling. We give teachers the opportunity to undergo STEM training and learn about innovative and gender-specific teaching methods.

In this article, we present the project activities carried out so far and the results achieved. These include the development of digital tools in the form of an e-platform that facilitates the mentoring process and the organization of activities that support informal two-way communication between mentors and mentees. We also present the theoretical framework within which the desired outcomes will be implemented to further fulfill the project objectives, namely the development of guidelines for the integration of the gender perspectives in teaching as well as teacher training for its inclusion in teaching practice.

Keywords:

Erasmus Plus, STEM, gender perspectives, digital platform.