The factors affecting women’s advancement in STEM industry in Ireland: A Qualitative Study

O'Brien, Jennifer (2022) The factors affecting women’s advancement in STEM industry in Ireland: A Qualitative Study. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

In the past half century, women have made significant strides into the workforce, but are still underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professions and it is well documented that they do not hold the same number of senior and executive positions as males (Oakley, 2000; Singh and Vinnicombe, 2004). There are significant issues within the STEM industry in retaining and recruiting women with much research and discussion focused on how to solve the "leaky pipeline" that sees a large number of women abandon STEM university courses and STEM careers (Glass et al, 2013; Liben & Coyle, 2014). In the past two decades, a substantial body of research on female underrepresentation has arisen; however, the majority of these studies have focused on educational access and retention, while few have examined the lived realities of women after they have left higher education. This research examines the variety of theories that address the underrepresentation of women in STEM and explore the diverse experiences of women working in STEM fields in Ireland as they moved into leadership positions. We learn, through qualitative analysis of 20 interviews with women that hold senior positions within the Irish STEM industry, what women have experienced, accepted, and learned on their different STEM journey. Our subjects independently reported to have experienced similar cultural prejudices and to have shared similar psychological qualities, despite the reality that these trajectories are typically quite dissimilar.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman > Gender D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain > Ireland H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Issues of Labour and Work > Classes of Labour > Women and Work
Divisions:	School of Business > Master of Business Administration
Depositing User:	Clara Chan
Date Deposited:	06 Oct 2022 10:11
Last Modified:	06 Oct 2022 10:55
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/5811

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