Career experiences of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields: A systematic literature review

• Date: 01 February 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21380
• Author: Jia Wang,Yasmeen Makarem
• Published date: 01 February 2020

LITERATURE REVIEW

Career experiences of women in science,

technology, engineering, and mathematics fields:

A systematic literature review

Yasmeen Makarem

1

| Jia Wang

2

1

Olayan School of Business, American

University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

2

College of Education and Human

Development, Harrington Education Center

Office Tower, Texas A&M University, College

Station, Texas

Correspondence

Yasmeen Makarem, Olayan School of

Business, American University of Beirut,

Beirut, Lebanon.

Email: ym13@aub.edu.lb

Abstract

This article offers a systematic review and synthesis of

28 empirical studies exploring the career experiences of

women in science, technology, engineering, and mathemat-

ics (STEM) fields. Three central questions guided this

review, and findings show that theoretically, women's

career experiences are mostly studied from behavioral and

organizational perspectives. Methodologically, a balanced

approach (both quantitative and qualitative) was adopted in

these the studies. The empirical evidence suggests that

STEM women's career experiences are largely shaped by

their own personal characteristics (motivation, self-efficacy,

and passion) and influenced by their parents, male col-

leagues, and human resources (HR) practices. Meanwhile,

STEM women continue to face a myriad of challenges in a

predominantly masculine environment (gendered organiza-

tional culture, gender-based stereotypes, struggle with

work-life balance, and lack of mentors). To cope with these

challenges, STEM women in the reviewed studies use three

types of strategies—conforming, impression management,

and proactivity. Based on our review, we derive implications

for theory and practice, as well as an agenda for future

research.

KEYWORDS

careers, STEM, systematic literature review, women

DOI: 10.1002/hrdq.21380

© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Human Resource Development Quarterly. 2020;31:91–111. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/hrdq 91

1|INTRODUCTION

The workplace landscape in the contemporary world is fast changing as a result of various changes that have taken

place in society at the economic, social, political, educational, and global levels (Afiouni, 2014; Arthur & Rousseau,

1996; Hall, 1996). This landscape shift prompts the need to rethink the meaning of careers and the current context

of work (McDonald & Hite, 2018). For a field such as human resource development (HRD) where career develop-

ment is considered as one of the core domains, furthering conversations about careers and career development is

not only relevant but also necessary. As HRD scholars and practitioners commonly recognized, HRD can play a key

role in developing career strategies that are attuned to the changing nature of work and careers (Burke & Ng, 2006;

McDonald & Hite, 2018), while also recognizing the heterogeneity within our conventional understanding of the

concept of careers. It is within this heterogeneous perspective that our research lies. Nevertheless, as HRD scholar-

ship has indicated, career studies in general are not yet part of the HRD mainstream research. More specifically,

careers of underrepresented populations (e.g., women) working in male-dominated occupations (e.g., science, tech-

nology, engineering, and mathematics—STEM) have received even less research attention from HRD scholars. In this

article, we seek to extend the conversation around women's careers by tapping into an under-explored research

territory—STEM fields. By doing so, it is hoped that we will help expand the current understanding of careers that is

derived largely from studying men, and that we will stimulate more research interest in the careers of women, espe-

cially those in highly masculinized professions.

Our review of relevant literature shows that despite the advancement women have made in the professional

world, women in STEM fields continue to be a minority group (Blickenstaff, 2005; Buck, Clark, Leslie-Pelecky, Lu, &

Cerda-Lizarraga, 2008; Morganson, Jones, & Major, 2010). From a global perspective, women accounted for less

than one third (28.8%) of the workforce in scientific research and development across the world in 2014 (Catalyst,

2018). From a local perspective, women's representation in STEM occupations varies greatly by country and by field.

For instance, in the United States, women held 44% of all science occupations, including 45% of physical scientists;

however, they represent only 14.5% of all architectural and engineering occupations, and even a smaller percentage

in civil engineering (11%) (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016). In Australia, women made up 20.7% of employees in

computer system design and 12.4% in engineering (Catalyst, 2018). In the European Union (EU), women have made

noticeable progress towards reducing the gender gap in the workplace, as evidenced by 40.1% of representation in

science and engineering in 2016, an increase of more than 20% since 2007 (Catalyst, 2018). Nevertheless, this pro-

gress is inconsistent across the STEM fields. For example, the number of women in technology sectors in the EU is

relatively smaller (32.2%), compared with 40.1% of women in science and engineering (Catalyst, 2018). Further, sta-

tistics from UNESCO (2017) and the World Bank (2016) reveal that Arab women are actively pursuing STEM majors

and careers.

Delving deeper, career exit for women in science, engineering, and technology (SET) peaks about 10 years into

their careers (Center for Talent Innovation, 2014). On the global scale, nearly one third of women in the United

States (32%) and China (30%) intend to leave their SET jobs within their first year, followed by Brazil (22%) and India

(20%), mainly because they feel stalled in their careers (Center for Talent Innovation, 2014). Further, in certain indus-

try sectors, the turnover rate is even more concerning. For example, in technology-intensive industries across the

countries, 53% of women opted to leave for other industries, compared to 31% of men (Catalyst, 2014). Among

women who earned engineering degrees, 38% quit engineering or never even entered the profession

(Catalyst, 2018).

A number of reasons for women's career exit from STEM occupations have been identified by researchers. A

few prominent contributors include gender bias (Buse & Bilimoria, 2014a; Dasgupta & Stout, 2014; Hart, 2016), feel-

ing of isolation, hostile male-dominated work environments (Buday, Jayne, & Zoë, 2012; Herman, 2015), ineffective

executive feedback, and a lack of adequate sponsorship (Center for Talent Innovation, 2014). More specifically,

women working in STEM often found themselves challenged by gendered organizational structures, cultures, and

management practices, all of which have created barriers to their career advancement and acceptance as

92 MAKAREM AND WANG