Engendering Access to STEM Education and Careers in South Asia / Shobhana Sosale [and three others].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sosale, Shobhana, author.

Series:

South Asia development forum.

South Asia Development Forum Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Education and state--South Asia.

Education and state.

Labor policy--South Asia.

Labor policy.

Sex discrimination in education.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (111 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC : World Bank Group, [2023]

Summary:

Building a skilled and diverse science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce is crucial for economic development, cross-border trade, and social inclusion in South Asia. However, underrepresentation of girls and women in STEM education and careers remains a persistent issue. What kinds of macro and micro socioeconomic interventions are needed to increase girls' and women's access to and participation in STEM education and careers in South Asia? This book compares trends in South Asia with global trends to examine how access to and choices of STEM fields affect girls' enrollment in upper secondary education, technical and vocational education and training, and higher education in the region as well as their selection of careers. Based on the analysis, it offers recommendations to policy makers and practitioners to improve inclusion. The following are among the findings: (1) The five key opportunities to foster inclusion and enrollment in STEM education--and staunch the 'leaky pipeline'--are at the upper primary, lower and upper secondary, and tertiary education levels, and during the early career years; (2) A strong pathway from STEM education to career depends on an integrated, systematic approach that motivates students to pursue STEM fields, builds STEM skills, and removes barriers to diversity; (3) With the increasing migration of workers between countries in South Asia, preparing a critical mass of semiskilled and skilled STEM migrant workers has cross-border value, especially for workers migrating from smaller to larger economies. New ways of defining STEM occupations are required to help develop and sustain female interest in STEM education and careers. Potential strategies that governments can pursue include raising awareness and building knowledge and skills in STEM outside the formal academic environment--such as in after-school programs, science fairs and competitions, and summer camps--and developing and systematically disseminating standardized resources. Inclusion and diversity must be championed by governments, the private sector, and other stakeholders who stand to benefit from more diverse workforces. Though women themselves would likely be credible champions, in South Asia they are often constrained by a range of factors. This report addresses some of those obstacles.

Contents:

Front Cover

Contents

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Abbreviations

Executive Summary

Introduction

Focus and Goals of This Report

Education's Evolution-and Stagnation

Participation in Education by South Asian Girls and Women

What Kind of STEM Interventions Does South Asia Need?

References

Chapter 1 Access to STEM: Gender Dimensions and Challenges

Highlights of the Literature on Gender and STEM

This Report's Focus and Goals

Defining STEM in School and Careers

Annex 1A: Alternative Frameworks for Assessing Girls' and Women's Progress in STEM Education and Careers

Notes

Chapter 2 STEM Trends-Globally and in South Asia

Primary Education

Lower Secondary Education

Upper Secondary Education

Tertiary Education

Technical and Vocational Education and Training

University Education

The Global STEM Labor Market

The South Asian STEM Labor Market

Chapter 3 Key Observations from South Asia

Primary and Secondary Education

The Labor Market

The Leaky Pipeline

Annex 3A: Barriers to STEM Education and Careers for Girls and Women in South Asia

Chapter 4 Potential Interventions for South Asia

Stakeholder Interventions

Government Interventions

Enhanced Gender-Disaggregated Data on STEM Education, with a Focus on Upper Secondary, TVET, and University Programs

Enhanced Data on Women in the Workforce

Considerations for Regional Integration

Appendix Country Profiles

Bangladesh

Bhutan

India

Maldives

Nepal

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Boxes

Box 1.1 South Asia's WePOWER Network: A Success Story

Box 1.2 Gender Bias in Textbooks.

Box 2.1 Access to Science Track in Tamil Nadu, India

Box 2.2 STEM Workers without Bachelor's Degrees

Box 4.1 Singapore's Applied Learning Programme

Box 4.2 Organizations Commit to Building Inclusive Work Environments

Box 4.3 Example of a US Government Intervention

Box 4.4 Use of Data in Norway

Figures

Figure 1.1 A Multidimensional Framework for Increasing Access to STEM Education and Careers in South Asia

Figure 1A.1 Challenges to STEM Education for Girls in Gazipur District, Bangladesh

Figure 2.1 Gross Enrollment Ratios in Primary School in South Asia

Figure 2.2 Net Enrollment in Primary School in South Asia

Figure 2.3 Out-of-School Ratios in South Asia

Figure 2.4 Gross Enrollment in Primary and Secondary School in South Asia

Figure 2.5 Net Enrollment in Upper Secondary School, Global

Figure 2.6 Differences between Girls and Boys in Expected Careers in South Asia, 2014

Figure 2.7 Labor Force Participation Rate in South Asia and the World

Figure 2.8 Employment of STEM and Non-STEM University Graduates in Sri Lanka, 2018

Figure A.1 Net Enrollment in Primary School in Bangladesh, 2010-19

Figure A.2 Net Enrollment in Secondary School in Bangladesh, 2010-18

Figure A.3 Female Labor Force Participation Rate in Bangladesh, 2012-19

Figure A.4 Gross Enrollment Trends in STEM and Non-STEM Streams in Bhutan, 2015-20

Figure A.5 Undergraduate Enrollment in Major Subjects in India, 2019-20

Figure A.6 School Promotion Rate in Nepal, by Gender, 2010 and 2017

Figure A.7 Share of Females Appearing for Examinations in the Science Stream in Nepal, 2018-19

Figure A.8 Enrollment in High School in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan, by Subject, 2015-16 and 2017-18

Figure A.9 Mathematics Assessment in Grade 4 in Sri Lanka, by Gender, 2002 and 2015.

Figure A.10 National Assessment of Grade 8 Learning Outcomes in Mathematics and Science in Sri Lanka, by Gender, 2012, 2014, and 2016

Figure A.11 STEM and non-STEM Graduates of State Universities in Sri Lanka, 2011-21

Tables

Table 2.1 Gross Enrollment Ratios in Primary School in Global and South Asian Economies, 2019 and 2020

Table 2.2 Net Enrollment Ratios in Secondary School in Global and South Asian Economies, 2019 and 2020

Table 2.3 Normalized Education Data in South Asia, 2020

Table 2.4 University Enrollment in STEM, by Total and Female, Global

Table 2.5 Share of Female Graduates at the Bachelor's Level in Engineering in the United States, 2019

Table 2.6 Labor Force Participation Rate in Countries in South Asia and the World, 2019

Table 3.1 STEM Education in Bhutan, by Gender, 2019

Table 3.2 STEM Careers Requiring a Bachelor's Degree in Bhutan, by Gender, 2019

Table 4.1 Recommendations to Help Girls and Women Pursue STEM Education and Careers in South Asia

Table A.1 Middle Secondary School Completion Rate in Bhutan

Table A.2 Net Enrollment Ratio in Schools in India, by Level and Gender, 2014-19

Table A.3 Average Score of Students on the National Achievement Survey in India, 2017 and 2018

Table A.4 Bachelor's Degrees in STEM Offered in Maldives

Table A.5 Enrollment in STEM-Related Subjects in Higher Education Institutions in Nepal, 2018-19.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references.

Other Format:

Print version: Sosale, Shobhana Engendering Access to STEM Education and Careers in South Asia

ISBN:

9781464819674

146481967X

OCLC:

1389613283