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women who had “solved” the problems, i.e., were successfully
employed in these fields.
(b) some Rowan experiences to influence their perception of problems for
(3) for females,
women in SEM, namely: (i) the higher the proportion of females in
their major the greater the awareness of problems); (ii) the longer they
had been in the engineering program, the more exposure to problems
women might encounter; on the other hand, students are also exposed
more to the solution of problems women might encounter, so the
relationship may be inverse.
(a) In terms of background variables, we expected women’s perception of
problems for women to be related to achievement in science,
engineering and math: female students with weaker backgrounds
might perceive more problems for women in SEM.
(b) Similarly, women who have less support for their pursuit of
engineering from significant others might be more likely to perceive
problems for women in the fields of SEM.
(c) In terms of Rowan experiences, we expected that greater involvement
in engineering -- as indicated by the extent of extra-curricular activities
at Rowan, membership in SWE, and internships – the more the women
would see that the barriers facing women in SEM can be overcome,
and therefore would be less likely to see them as serious problems.
IIG-238