Abstract:

Access to higher education is crucial for women since it makes it possible to reduce the degree of vulnerability to poverty, situations of violence in their homes and secure their families financial future. Thus, there is a positive correlation between access to higher education, well-being, empowerment, earnings, and even better relationships between mothers and children (Butler & Deprez, 2002).

Over time, significant progress has been made about gender parity in higher education. According to the UNESCO IELSAC report (2020), in the last two decades, the enrollment of women in higher education went from 19% to 41%, compared to men, whose enrollment rate went from 19% to 36%.

Despite the progress made in terms of access and gender parity in higher education, there are still pending challenges, one of these being the reduction of gender gaps related to the enrollment rate of women in careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, also known as STEM careers. Thus, according to Chavatzia (2017), worldwide, there is a majority enrollment rate of male students in engineering, manufacturing, and construction studies (73%) and information and communication technology (72%), while women are the majority in education (71%), arts and humanities (62%), health and wellness (68%), social sciences (61%), business and law (56%).

Among the factors that affect the choice of a specific career are those related to the labor market, such as employment opportunities, salary levels, and personal factors such as vocation. In the case of women, these personal factors have made women choose careers of care and follow gender roles.

Based on this background, the importance of diagnosing the current state of the participation of Ecuadorian women in STEM careers arises. For this study, a descriptive analysis of labor market indicators distributed according to the careers grouped by the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) is carried out. This grouping is based on the national nomenclature of professional titles established by the National Institute of Statistics and Census of Ecuador (INEC). The study uses data from 2019 since the pandemic changed the data collection methodology in 2020. Thus, this document analyzes the distribution by gender indicators of the different areas of qualification, average income, and occupation categories.

Keywords:

Gender, STEM, higher education, access.