Unequal preferences [UPdATE]

Why are there still clearly unequal preferences between women and men when it comes to choosing subjects for teaching 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 leading question about a entrenched inequality relation, 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 (sociology of gender, empirical education research, gender-theoretical technology research) are cooperating to this end are focussing on the interfaces between educational 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 degree programs (teaching, social work, technical and natural sciences) based on the focal points of the participating disciplines.A qualitative and a quantitative survey of students and teachers, a sociological document analysis on measures to increase the proportion of the underrepresented gender, as well as an actor network analysis and participant observation on gender-related activity references and materialization processes of subject cultures are planned. The aim of the research project is to develop a gender-theoretically and empirically grounded research approach that for the first time systematically examines social and technical science fields of study 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.

 

Head

Mechthild Bereswill (Coordinator), Faculty of Human Sciences (01)

Professor of sociology of social differentiation and socioculture,

bereswill[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

Claude Draude, Department of Electrical Engineering / Computer Science

Professor of Gender/Diversity in Computer Systems (GeDIS)

claude.draude[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

Hans Peter Kuhn, Faculty of Human Sciences (01)

Professor of Empirical Research in Education

hpkuhn[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

 

Collaborators

Gabriele Lumpp, M.A. (Sociology of Social Differentiation and Socioculture)

g.lumpp[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

Lisa Marie Bläsing, M.A. (Gender/Diversity in Information Systems, GeDIS)

lisamarie.blaesing[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

Josefine Spitzner, M.A. (Empirical Educational Research)

josefine.spitzner[at]uni-kassel[dot]de