A study of factors affecting women’s lived experiences in STEM

Abstract The number of women employed in STEM in Australia is increasing, however, they continue to remain underrepresented in most industries. A significant corpus of literature on female underrepresentation has emerged in the past 20 years, however, many of those studies focus on educational access and retention and not many look at the lived experiences of women after they have left higher education. In this article, we take a different stance and explore the heterogeneous experiences of female STEM professionals in regional Australia. Through the qualitative analysis of 25 interviews, we learn what women have endured, accepted, and valued on their individual STEM journeys. While these journeys are often quite different, our interviewees independently reported having experienced similar societal prejudices and possessing similar personality traits. Our data reveals that resilience and determination proved vital for these women, as did a strong early interest in STEM. Our interviews also unearth issues in which women’s opinions are fiercely divided, such as whether positive discrimination has been a barrier or an enabler for their careers. Based on what we have learnt from their accounts, we argue that these women have ‘survived’ their work environments despite structural barriers, only due to their determination, resilience and fervent interest.