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The gender gap in STEM: (Female) teenagers' ICT skills and subsequent career paths

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  • Hertweck, Friederike
  • Lehner, Judith

Abstract

Skills shortage in the fields of Sciences, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) poses a significant challenge for industries globally. This study examines the interrelationship between high school students' gender, their proficiency in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and their career preferences in the STEM domain. Based on representative data for German teenagers, our study shows that female adolescents are less likely to choose a career in STEM unless they have strong ICT skills in secondary school. The relationship does not hold for male students. Our findings can be explained with evidence that teenagers sort into occupations they believe to be good at and that female teenagers rather underestimate their true potential. Using different empirical approaches, we also show that ICT skills act as a moderator and not as a mediator in the gender-specific choice of training upon graduating from secondary school.

Suggested Citation

  • Hertweck, Friederike & Lehner, Judith, 2023. "The gender gap in STEM: (Female) teenagers' ICT skills and subsequent career paths," Ruhr Economic Papers 1028, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:rwirep:1028
    DOI: 10.4419/96973195
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chetty, Krish & Qigui, Liu & Gcora, Nozibele & Josie, Jaya & Wenwei, Li & Fang, Chen, 2018. "Bridging the digital divide: Measuring digital literacy," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 12, pages 1-20.
    2. Tingley, Dustin & Yamamoto, Teppei & Hirose, Kentaro & Keele, Luke & Imai, Kosuke, 2014. "mediation: R Package for Causal Mediation Analysis," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 59(i05).
    3. Alexander J.A.M. Van Deursen & Ellen J. Helsper & Rebecca Eynon, 2016. "Development and validation of the Internet Skills Scale (ISS)," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 64485, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Career choice; ICT skills; digital literacy; gender gap; STEM;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J08 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics Policies

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