YOUTH AND STEM CAREERS: AN OVERVIEW OF BRAZILIAN HIGH SCHOOLS

Abstract

High school is a challenging stage in the educational trajectory, during which young people face decisions about their future careers. These decisions are frequently influenced by gender patterns that may limit opportunities and perpetuate inequalities in STEM fields—an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.This article presents a Systematic Literature Review, conducted as part of an ongoing doctoral research project affiliated with [Maintaining anonymity]. The objective was to map and analyze the educational policies, programs and initiatives developed in Brazil to encourage high school students to pursue careers in STEM. The methodology was based on the PICOC model, with searches carried out in 5 scientific databases using the Parsifal. Were selected 16 studies, published between 2017 and 2024, which evidence specific, low-investment actions, often financed by public notices and calls for proposals, but without structured continuity. No public policies were identified, which is a relevant finding. The research limitations include the regional concentration of the studies, a scarcity of impact assessments, methodological gaps, and technical difficulties in importing data from Google Scholar via BibTeX. The conclusion is that intersectional, evaluable and continuous policies are needed to ensure girls' access to and permanence in STEM areas, valuing plural epistemologies and diverse social contexts.