Gender in STEM Research and Innovation: An Intervention

Most STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) academic practices fail to take gender into account because they treat men as default and women as atypical. As a consequence, bias and discrimination are baked into our systems. It is critical to include gender studies in STEM education and provide effective interventions to address this problem. Through gender lens inclusion, student researchers will become more equipped to design technology and create solutions that address the intersectionality of gender, race, ethnicity, class, age, and sexual orientation. One potential strategy is to incorporate active and experiential learning methods that allow participants to discover knowledge about subtle gender bias on their own, rather than being passive recipients of information. This will increase awareness without eliciting defensiveness or the belief that nothing can be done to remedy bias. In our pilot study, a workshop is used for positively influencing the participants' perspectives. The intervention has two objectives: 1) Raise awareness about the need to look at research through a gender lens, and 2) Nudge student researchers in STEM to encompass a gender dimension in technology and innovation. Mixed methods qualitative tools are used for data collection and analysis.