Explaining Course Enrollment Gaps in High School: Examination of Gender-Imbalance in the Applied Sciences
Publication type
journal article
Publication date
2023
Author(s)
Freeman, JA
Gottfried, MA
Odle, TK
Language
English
View point(s)
Global
Institutional
Discipline(s)
Abstract
Federal policy in the United States has urged high schools to expand offerings in career and technical education (CTE) coursework to address persistent gender inequities in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical (STEMM) fields. Unfortunately, gender composition in engineering and health sciences CTE enrollment is highly imbalanced and reflects postsecondary and labor market trends. Using data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, we use decomposition techniques to examine which student, family, and school factors explain gender-imbalanced enrollment in STEMM-focused CTE courses. The results indicate student occupational expectations were the largest contributor to gender gaps across content areas.
Journal
EDUCATIONAL POLICY
ISSN
0895-9048
Volume
38
Issue
4
Pagination
897-936