Unequal preferences [DE]

Why are there still clearly unequal preferences between women and men when it comes to choosing subjects for teacher training or social work and in the technical and natural sciences, despite the enormous social change and numerous educational policy measures? In order to answer this guiding question about an entrenched inequality relationship, the research project, conceived as a cooperation between social and technical sciences, is carrying out theoretical and empirical preliminary work for the application of a DFG research group. For the first time, disciplines from research fields that have so far taken little notice of each other (gender sociology, empirical educational research, gender-theoretical technology research) are cooperating and focusing on the interfaces between education and higher education research, gender research and technology research.

The joint project will pool previously scattered international research findings and generate empirical data on the aforementioned study programs (teaching, social work, technology and natural sciences) based on the focal points of the participating disciplines. A qualitative and quantitative survey of students and lecturers, a sociological document analysis of measures to increase the proportion of the underrepresented gender, as well as an actor network analysis and participant observation of gender-related activities and materialization processes of subject cultures are planned. The aim of the research project is to develop a gender-theoretically and empirically based research approach that for the first time systematically examines social and technical science subjects in a comparative way. All sub-projects of the subsequently planned network (interdisciplinary DFG research group) refer to this approach in order to explain causes and backgrounds for unequal preferences in the choice of study subjects.