Publication Date

Spring 5-10-2019

Document Type

Capstone project: Open access

Degree Name

MA Leadership Studies

Department

Leadership Studies

Abstract

Despite societal advancements in gender equality within the workplace, the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields continue to be male-dominated today. Not only is there a disparity between women and men in these workplaces, women have been made to feel unwelcome in the STEM industries by the masculinized culture that characterizes these companies and organizations. This masculinized culture brings negative gender ideologies about the female gender which includes stereotypes that doubt the competence and abilities of women. When this masculinized culture is threatened by the presence of women, male employees have the tendency to respond emotionally in ways that alienate their female colleagues. Women in these environments cope with this culture in four different ways: minimizing their feminine traits, altering the way they converse with and behave around their male counterparts, sticking to women-only groups in which they feel safe and comfortable, or leaving the STEM industries altogether and opting for a different profession. Through using the authentic leadership and integral leadership theories, women may be able to confront this issue and make the STEM world a better place for current and future female leaders. This research design proposes a mixed-methods study to gauge participants’ responses to their experience with gender inequality in STEM.

Download

Share

COinS