Gender and mathematics: Pathways to mathematically intensive fields of study in Australia

Women in Australia have gone from being under-represented to being over-represented in university education, but they are still far less likely than men to engage in mathematically intensive science fields including engineering, information technology and the physical sciences. I aim to contribute to the literature by examining the extent to which secondary school educational experiences and occupational expectations explain the gender gap in the choice of a mathematically intensive university major. I used logistic regression models and the KHB method to analyse the data from the 2003 cohort of the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Youth. Overall, I found that about 28 percent of the gender gap could be explained by students' expectations of a mathematically oriented career while in secondary school, self-assessed mathematical competence in adolescence and engagement in advanced mathematics and physical science subjects in the final year of secondary school. The results of the KHB method demonstrate that the expectation of a mathematically oriented career has the greatest potential to bridge the gender gap.