Perceived sexism ‘dents female students’ academic performance’

Perceived discrimination against female students might negatively influence their academic performance, a new study has found.

Diana Roxana Galos, of the University of Copenhagen, and Susanne Strauss and Thomas Hinz, of the University of Konstanz, analysed more than 30 years of data from the German Student Survey, or Studierendensurvey, to investigate a peculiarity of the gender grade gap.

“Our study was motivated by the puzzle that girls have better grades than boys in high school, but this reverses, with men having higher grades in university, especially in STEM subjects,” Dr Galos, an assistant professor in sociology, told Times Higher Education.

In the nationwide German survey, students were asked, among other things, about their perceptions of gender discrimination and competition between students in their subjects, as well as their grades in university and secondary school.

“Ideally, we would have studied actual discrimination, but it is more challenging to measure it,” Dr Galos said, explaining that such a study would require direct observation of students’ behaviour. “That being said, studying the perception of discrimination still provides valuable insights into how individuals’ experiences and beliefs of discrimination are linked to their academic outcomes.”

The study authors focused on student responses from six subject areas: law, medicine, economics and natural sciences – considered largely “gender-balanced fields of study” – as well as social sciences, which was dominated by female students, and engineering, in which men formed a majority.

Publishing in the journal Research in Higher Education, they conclude that female students reported greater discrimination against women than male students, as well as higher levels of competition. While greater perceived competition correlated with poorer academic performance for both male and female students, higher levels of perceived discrimination were primarily associated with lower grades for female students.

Moreover, the academics found, women struggled to translate strong high school performances into strong university performances in subject areas dominated by men. “In engineering, for women, compared to men, perceived discrimination tends to have pronounced negative consequences on grades,” they write. “Thus, an environment characterised by a lack of inclusivity and support for minority members” could contribute to women’s lower performance, they write.

The findings could help to guide policy both at the university and secondary school level, the authors suggest. “Eliminating gender barriers at the university level is probably important to empower women to reach their full potential,” Dr Galos said. “If women feel that they are not treated equally with their male peers, it could negatively impact their academic performance.

“From a young age, young women and men are socialised into developing an interest in specific fields of study and, later, occupations based on their perceived gender suitability. Promoting early inclusive environments may help reduce internalised gender biases influencing women’s perceptions of not fitting in in certain fields.”

emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com