Abstract

This paper seeks to understand the gender gaps in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM areas) in Chile, and to generate proposals to reduce these disparities. The results indicate that there is an important heterogeneity within the STEM disciplines, which should be taken into account when designing measures to reduce these inequalities. For example, larger gender gaps are found in STEM disciplines with a high mathematical component (Physics, Mathematics, Engineering and Computer Science) than in those associated with life sciences (such as Chemistry or Biology). On the other hand, our results suggest that the flight of women from STEM areas occurs in later stages of undergraduate training, which would be mainly related to the insertion in the academic career and its early stages. Care work and hostile organizational climates, among other aspects, are part of the difficulties encountered by women in their progression. Based on national and comparative antecedents, four lines of proposals were developed that hope to contribute to reducing the existing gaps. The first is aimed at generating affirmative actions to promote greater participation of women in STEM careers. On the one hand, measures are proposed to ensure the entry of women into undergraduate careers with a high mathematical component, effectively safeguarding their progression and retention. On the other hand, ideas are proposed for the consolidation of young women researchers in STEM areas and their recruitment. The second and third lines seek to support the retention, promotion and progression of women in STEM academic careers. Finally, training and awareness-raising initiatives on gender issues are proposed, which should be evaluated on an ongoing basis.