From Fixing Women to Transforming Systems: A Power-Critical Application of Soft Systems Methodology in STEM

Abstract Women remain persistently underrepresented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields, particularly in higher career levels and leadership positions. Despite numerous programs designed to support women individually – such as mentoring, coaching, and training – gender disparities endure, suggesting that these interventions fail to address the structural roots of inequality. This article presents a research design that adopts a systemic perspective informed by Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) and Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH) to shift the focus from changing women to transforming the behaviour of responsible, but largely unaffected, system participants – namely, men in positions of power. We conducted problem-centred interviews with women in STEM to build purposeful activity models of their career experiences and challenges. These served as a basis for discussion in workshops with responsible, but not affected system participants, e.g. professors and research associates. While the initial aim was to generate actionable recommendations, it became increasingly clear that the workshops’ most significant impact lay in the processes of self-reflection and shifts in attitude among male participants, catalysed by the depth and openness of the group discussions. Changing these attitudes is particularly crucial because men in these positions shape and sustain institutional logics; thus, transforming their perspectives represents a key leverage point for systemic change. Despite methodological challenges and unresolved questions regarding its long-term impact, this study demonstrates a power-critical adaptation of SSM by integrating elements of CSH to address power asymmetries and epistemic injustice supporting transformative processes in power-unequal contexts.