WOMEN IN SCIENCE

Abstract

The issue of girls’ education (STEM education) is one of the key areas of research in the field of sociology. There has been a lot of studies done on women's participation in STEM education globally and have highlighted the challenges that girls confront in STEM studies and careers. However, it has remained a major problem in Pakistan which needs to be researched widely. This study examines the running trend of girls enrolling in STEM disciplines at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Pakistan as well as the perceptions of university students on girls’ enrolment in science programme. The study was done at Quaid-i-Azam University Pakistan by conducting comprehensive interviews of 17 respondents. The respondents were female students of STEM subjects at Quaid-i-Azam University. Purposive Sampling technique was used for the selection of sample size and the data was analysed using thematic analysis technique. The findings of this study reveal that the ratio of female students in STEM is increasing significantly compared to previous years, owing to their parents' encouragement and support. The number of female students studying STEM subjects has increased purely because of parental support and motivation. Most students argued that they should pursue a career in STEM subjects because there are more opportunities in these fields based on desired skills. Furthermore, the respondent highlighted several challenges that they face in STEM, with job hunting being one of the most significant.