GENDER CHALLENGES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) FIELDS: LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present a literature review on the challenges in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) within the academic and scientific research environments, in order to understand the landscape of (in)equality of opportunities and the inclusion of women in areas traditionally dominated by men. The systematic literature review was conducted using the Parsif.al tool, as well as Google Scholar, Scielo, and specialized websites on the topic. The search string and inclusion and exclusion criteria were based on relevance to the topic, significance, and year of publication, considering the period from 2014 to 2023 and aggregating literature review texts with available access. Titles and abstracts were screened, as well as the full texts analyzed, resulting in 31 articles being selected, excluding duplicates and those that did not meet the inclusion criteria. The selected articles were organized into six categories, which demarcate the observed themes, discussions, and findings, allowing for the organization of the study. The category with the highest number of articles was “Education and Gender,” which includes 17 works, the oldest being from 2016 by the researchers Casagrande and Souza. The research indicates that this is a markedly male-dominated landscape, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, if we consider research areas; however, there are initiatives underway that could change this scenario.