Abstract

Context & Theoretical approach: The participation of women in areas related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is low in Chile and elsewhere. Because women commonly have access to careers with lower expectations of employability and future income than men, increasing female participation in STEM is important to reduce education and gender pay differences (OECD, 2015). In Chile, the gender disparity in higher education is well-known, but there is little evidence regarding the transit between secondary and tertiary education for graduates of vocational education and training programs (VET). This research seeks to investigate if graduating from a VET program affects the odds of applying for STEM careers, and if there are measurable differences among women and men applicants. Specifically, does the fact of graduating from Technical Vocational Education affect the preferences for choosing university careers in the STEM area? Are there gender differences in the applicants’ declared preferences? To address these questions, we hypothesize that men who have graduated from Technical secondary education apply in greater proportion to STEM careers compared to men who have graduated from EMCH. The second hypothesis states that women who have graduated from EMTP apply to a lesser degree to careers in the STEM area compared to women who have graduated from EMCH, controlling for relevant sociodemographic confounders. Research methodology: The research strategy is based on quantitative analysis based on survey data. To make treatment and control groups comparable, we rely on a Full Matching method based on a series of sociodemographic and educational variables. This strategy allows us to ensure compliance with the assumptions of independence, exclusion restriction and the stable unit treatment value assumption (SUTVA). The analysed sample included students who have applied for a university and who have met the minimum application score in 2012. Findings: In general, the results show no differences in the application preferences between EMTP and EMCH students. However, we found a significant result when the sex variable is included. On the one hand, women who had graduated from EMTP applied in a smaller proportion to STEM careers compared to women who had graduated from EMCH education. In contrast, men who had graduated from EMTP applied in a greater proportion to STEM careers than men who had graduated from EMCH. These findings suggest an important mediating role of gender in the choice for STEM careers among graduates from vocational education and training programs (VET).