A critical analysis of the factor of gender and STEM enrollment in higher education

Men’s overrepresentation in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is long standing and not fully understood. Since STEM fields drive much of the innovation that fuels economic growth, by not fully utilizing the potential of half the population, economies may be thereby missing out on valuable contributions. Thus, understanding this gap in representation is crucial. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of gender differences in the number of tertiary STEM students and graduates in the European Union from 1991 to 2019, with a focus on geographic representation and secular changes in the magnitude of these differences. A unique spatiotemporal analysis was performed for identifying the extent of gender inequality in STEM fields across Europe. The analysis show that the general increase in participation in higher education doubled the number of women in tertiary education but not in STEM fields. Thus, women are consistently underrepresented among graduate entrepreneurs, especially in STEM. The results also revealed smaller gender differences in STEM in Central and Eastern European as well as Scandinavian countries than in Western European countries, but similar patterns across generations were observed. This work identifies the relationship between women’s growth in STEM fields, the effectiveness of chosen policy measures, and the untapped potential of women to fill a possible shortage of graduates in STEM fields.