Gender Inequality and Female Underrepresentation in Chinese STEM Education: A Study of Experiences, Challenges, and Recommendations

Gender inequality remains a persistent challenge in higher education, with particularly stark disparities in the participation of women within Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines in China. Drawing on qualitative interviews with female undergraduates from leading Chinese universities, this research examines both the structural barriers that restrict women’s access to social capital (Bourdieu, 1985; Lin, 2001) and the absence of visible female role models who might inspire and guide their academic trajectories (Etzkowitz et al., 2000; Xu, 2008). In doing so, the study provides a nuanced understanding of the mechanisms through which gender inequality is sustained in STEM education and underscores the critical role of representation and mentorship in shaping women’s participation and aspirations (Hill et al., 2010). Adopting a qualitative research approach, this study conducted in-depth, one-to-one interviews with eight female undergraduate STEM students across a range of Chinese universities. These interviews serve as the primary source of data, enabling a comprehensive exploration of participants’ lived experiences, their motivations to pursue scientific fields, their encounters within male-dominated academic environments, and their perceptions of gender-based inequities within the Chinese higher education system (Li & Koedel, 2017). The findings reveal two central issues in relation to gender inequality in Chinese STEM education. First, despite formal equality in curricula and teaching resources, female STEM students continue to lack access to crucial forms of social capital, such as informal networks and mentorship (Chen et al., 2020). Second, institutional support remains inadequate, with professors—particularly female faculty—often unable or unwilling to provide equitable guidance and role modelling (Shen, 2013; UNESCO, 2017). This further limits female students’ academic and professional development. Together, these findings illuminate the persistent structural and relational barriers shaping the educational trajectories of women in STEM and contribute to broader discussions of gender equity in Chinese higher education (Marginson, 2016).