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Gender-sensitive tools and materials for women empowerment in STEM: a systematic review with industrial and instructional recommendations and implications

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Abstract

This systematic literature review aims to collect and uncover the various types of tools and materials available—digital and traditional—for tackling gender equality in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Considering the various facets of gender-equality, this review provides an overview of different tools and materials used in the wider academic and industrial community for supporting or empowering women to enrol or remain active in STEM fields. Published manuscripts between 2001 and 2021 were searched electronically with an eye to retrieve the relevant published literature on the topic. Traditional and digital gender-sensitive tools and materials were identified, classified and described together with their benefits and drawbacks. This review demonstrates the variety of gender-sensitive materials and tools employed in higher education institutions to empower women to enrol and remain active in the field of STEM. Industrial and instructional design recommendations were drawn from the review as well as implications for professionals and researchers.

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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This work has been funded by the European Union’s Erasmus Plus programme, grant agreement: 2019-1-CY01-KA203-058407 (Project: FeSTEM). This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained there.

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  1. Cyprus University of Technology, 30 Arch. Kyprianos Str., 3036, Limassol, Cyprus

    Eirini Christou & Antigoni Parmaxi

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Christou, E., Parmaxi, A. Gender-sensitive tools and materials for women empowerment in STEM: a systematic review with industrial and instructional recommendations and implications. Univ Access Inf Soc 22, 699–714 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-022-00881-z

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