“STEM GenderIN Project”: Training Materials to Reduce the Gender Gap in STEM Fields

Aims of the tool

The “STEM GenderIN: a bridge to close the STEM gap with gender-inclusive education and teaching” project is an Erasmus+ project that aims to reduce the gender gap in STEM fields by strengthening the skills of STEM teachers in terms of gender stereotypes and gender diversity management.

The project specifically wants to reduce gender disparities by raising awareness of the impact of gender stereotypes in STEM fields, targeting students at an early age (11-15 years).
Research shows that orientation-related influences begin to emerge as early as ages 12–13, and gender is recognized as a key factor shaping students’ interest in STEM subjects.

In this context, STEM teachers play a crucial role in guiding students in their school career and fostering a supportive environment, especially for young girls.
However, the school system itself often contributes to the emergence and reinforcement of gender stereotypes, in teaching resources and sometimes even unconsciously in teachers' expectations of girls and boys. This makes it essential to implement inclusive STEM awareness initiatives that actively avoid perpetuating gender bias.

Teachers often lack the knowledge and tools needed to effectively take the gender dimension into account, and they receive too little training on these issues. While many STEM teachers are aware of these issues and are committed to treating all students equally, gender bias can still influence teaching practices in subtle, hard-to-detect ways, particularly when it comes to learning strategies.

As part of the project, numerous resources and materials have been produced to provide teachers with knowledge, inclusive pedagogical strategies, and ready-to-use resources to concretely help them teach STEM from a gender perspective and in a more inclusive manner.

Description of the tool

• Equality Pedagogy in STEM: An EU Framework, a publication that offers a deep exploration of data, analytical tools and fundamental elements for the explanation of the persisting gender inequalities and gaps in STEM fields and STEM education; challenges within STEM education that contribute to this persistent gap; the European regulatory framework on this issue; research findings from a survey to teachers in the partners’ countries; a systematic analysis of reference practices for gender-sensitive STEM education; an annotated scientific literature list; a list of the essential inclusive language manuals (in Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian and English).

• A guide for including a gender perspective in STEM schools and education, a second publication that presents comprehensive recommendations, resources and information resulted of the analysis developed to establish a framework of knowledge about the role of education, schools, teachers and other professionals and actors (e.g., parents and families) in the educational and professional decisions of girls regarding STEM.

• A free, flexible, and interactive training program with 10 mini-trainings designed to support teachers and educators in promoting gender-inclusive STEM education. Each mini-training also features interactive elements, ready-to-use tools, and classroom activities to make the learning experience more dynamic and engaging. From “Gender stereotypes in STEM education” to “Whole school approach to teaching STEM/STEAM with a gender perspective” and “Understanding and Recognizing the Causes of Girls' Underrepresentation in STEM and How to Change It”, each mini-training addresses a specific topic essential for a more inclusive STEM classroom.

• A Self-assessment tool to analyze a learning situation and think critically about the root causes of inequalities, particularly those linked to gender.

• A Checklist of good practices to reflect on daily teaching practices and set up gender inclusive STEM activities.

All these tools are available in English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian, and accessible online or downloadable in PDF format.