A qualitative investigation of the influences of gender among low-socioeconomic status students’ motivations to study biology

Students from low-socioeconomic status backgrounds (LSES) are underrepresented in STEM education, including in the biological sciences. As one of the foundational STEM disciplines, biology represents an interesting case study in that women earn the most undergraduate degrees, a trend that holds across racial/ethnic groups. However, there is a limited understanding about the backgrounds, personality characteristics, and preferences of undergraduates who choose to pursue a biology major, especially those from LSES backgrounds and whether there are gender differences among those students. Using interview data from LSES students who were participants in an externally funded scholarship program, we found that personal interests, positive learning experiences, and particularly medical career opportunities were highly influential for shaping major-related choices for LSES students, comparable to the motivations seen among biology students from all demographic groups. Yet the ways LSES men and women translated their preferences and motivations into biology majors were divergent, which highlights the unique perspectives and challenges of LSES students along their motivational trajectories. For instance, positive interactions with teachers played a significant role in supporting scientific interests of LSES students of both genders. For LSES men, these experiences were mostly related to engaging academic content, while explicit encouragement and support from teachers was particularly impactful for LSES women. Additionally, LSES students frequently chose biology majors because of the perceived preparation for a certain career, either in medical or non-medical fields. We observed that these motivational factors were more salient for LSES men than for women. In contrast, LSES women often found both medical and non-medical careers appealing due to their interest in doing scientific research. Our analysis of LSES students’ motivational pathways to biology majors revealed that while intrinsic motivations are crucial for the development of their scientific and career interests, engagement with, and belonging to the field, extrinsic motivations—driven by personal, cultural, and economic factors—cannot be overlooked. Understanding this gendered dynamic and interplay between these motivational types is essential for designing programs and policies that aim to increase the representation of LSES students in biology, a field critical to environmental conservation and societal welfare.