mentoring program in technical sciences
TRANSCRIPT
MENTORING PROGRAM
IN TECHNICAL SCIENCES
FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL
FEMALE STUDENTS
Kateřina Cidlinská
National Contact Centre for Women and Science
The Institute of Sociology
Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
Goals of the program
• Motivate girls to study STEM at universities
• Increase the number of women in traditionally male dominated field and tackle horizontal segregation
• Break the gender stereotypical perception ofSTEM as masculine
Reasons for founding the program
• Women represent only 12.8 % of researchers in the technical sciences in CR– 4 % less than in 2001.
• Women represent 32.2 % students of technicaldisciplines at Czech universities– some specializations 5 %.
Why mentoring format?
• Main reason for low representation of women in the technical sciences= gender stereotypes → lower self-confidence of girls,more traditionalprofessional ambitions
• Change of thinking needs an individual long-term approach
We bet on basic mentoring functions:
1. Influence of role models
2. Psychological support
3. Help with the choice of study and professional path
And feminist characteristics:
1. Transformative function (beside the instumental and developmental)
2. Non-hierarchical relationship, reciprocity
Motivation for participation
Mentees
• Help with the choice of university and discipline
• Information about higher education in general
Mentors
• Motivate girls to study gender non-traditional disciplines
• Popularization and promotion of their specialization and school
• Help to make an informed choice of a university and program
• Meeting new people (widening own social network)
Effectivity of the program
Mentees
• Making decisions about future study
• Familiarization with the university environment
• Obtaining relevant contacts to the start at university(mentor/s, her school mates, teachers)
increasing mentees’ self-confidence
Mentors
• Meeting new interesting people, making new friends
• Developing a new perspective
• Improving communication, popularization and organizational skills
• Relaxation
• Finding new enthusiasm for their field of study
• Increasing self-confidence
Effectivity of the program
Effectivity of the program
Effectivity of the program
Meeting the program goals
• The program supports and motivates girls to study the technical sciences
• The program contributes to breaking the stereotypicalperception of the technical sciences as masculine
• Program proved to be an effective tool for dismantling horizontal gender segregation in Czech higher education and science.
• In the long run, the program could contribute to eliminating vertical segregation– mentors motivate mentees to
develop their professional ambitions.
Participants since 2009
135 mentees
67 mentors (37 specializations)
7 Czech universities in three cities
Prague, Brno, Olomouc:
Czech Technical University in Prague
Institute of Chemical Technology Prague
Charles University
Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
Brno University of Technology
Masaryk University
Palacky University in Olomouc
Thank you for your attention!
Kateřina CidlinskáNational Contact Center for Women and Science
http://www.zenyaveda.cz