Women are underrepresented in STEM careers (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Globally, women account for less than 24% of these careers. This research targets the origins of this underrepresentation: why do fewer women than men choose STEM careers? I conducted my research with a mixed method approach of interviewing fifty College of Idaho students and surveying one-hundred students from a variety of institutions. Men and women were equally sampled in order to compare motivations of the different genders. My results revealed that mothers' professions were the strongest indicator of whether or not a female student would study a STEM field. 87% of female STEM students have mothers who are involved in either the maths or sciences. Moreover, 80% of non-STEM females did not have mothers who were involved in science and math careers. My results indicate that the female student's mother's profession is the strongest determinant of whether or not she studies a STEM field. Conversely, mothers' professions did not influence male students' studies. Generally speaking, the results point to the influence of specific social network patterns on men and women's varying interest levels in STEM professions.

Interest Inequality