PhD Thesis Presentation: Balancing the Equation: Examining Gender Gaps in Physics and Stem Across Canadian Classrooms

PhD Candidate

Eamonn Corrigan

Abstract

The transition from mandatory to optional STEM education in Canadian high schools is a critical juncture, heavily influencing students' future academic and career paths. This stage is characterized not only by a significant decline in overall enrollment but also by the emergence of significant gender gaps, particularly in physics. Efforts to increase gender equity in physics and engineering at the university level and beyond will remain stifled by the large gap in high school. Despite this, detailed gender-specific data examining this period of transition were largely unavailable.

To address this gap, administrative data was gathered from all provincial Ministries of Education across Canada, encompassing over a decade of enrollment records. These data were used to track cohorts of male and female students transitioning from grade 10 science into various STEM disciplines. Through detailed statistical analysis, this study explores longitudinal trends and inter-provincial differences related to female participation in physics and other STEM subjects at the high school level.

The findings indicate a shifting landscape in gender representation. Contrary to historical trends, there is no longer an underrepresentation of women in Canadian high school STEM classes. In fact, female students now slightly outnumber males in overall enrolment for both grade 11 and 12 STEM. However, significant disparities persist in individual disciplines. Physics courses continue to be male-dominated, although the gap is gradually closing, and biology courses are increasingly female-dominated, with this gap widening over the past decade. These findings highlight the need for more nuanced and targeted strategies in future efforts to support women in STEM. Future initiatives must ensure that they effectively address existing disparities without inadvertently introducing new ones.

Examination Committee

• Dr. Eric Poisson, Chair
• Dr. Martin Williams, Advisor
• Dr. Mary Wells, Co-Advisor
• Dr. Robert Wickham, Graduate Faculty
• Dr. Douglas Bonn, External Examiner (University of British Columbia)