GENDER AND ACADEMIC SPECIALIZATION : CHOOSING BETWEEN ENGINEERING AND ARTS

Abstract

In Singapore, the significant increase in participation of females in the upper echelons of the educational ladder has often been noted. In this country, in which educational achievement is linked to high-paying jobs and status, many see this trend of female academic accomplishment as a sure sign of our society's arrival at sexual equality. This academic exercise was aimed at putting this myth to the test. By looking at the faculties most female undergraduates are enrolled in, we soon find that women tend to be disproportionately concentrated in less prestigious and less lucrative fields. This exploratory exercise set out to investigate why males and females are choosing the gender-segregated faculties of Engineering and Arts and Social Sciences respectively. This phenomenon was examined by comparing their family background and socialization experiences, through the empirical testing of eight main hypotheses. Special attention was also directed at understanding the rationale behind women's decisions about faculty and occupational choice. The findings of this study clearly show that contrary to popular wisdom, science education in Singapore is anything but gender-neutral. Furthermore female ambitions in science and technology-related fields may be hindered by societal expectations. The sooner governmental bodies and educationists realize this, the sooner positive steps can be made to improve women's educational accomplishment and their subsequent induction into the prestigious and lucrative scientific professions.