Influence of Femininity and Masculinity Traits on Participation and Performance in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics of Undergraduate Students in Tanzania

Abstract

This study investigated whether women and men differed in terms oftheir femininity, masculinity, gender negatives stereotypes, persistence,self-efficacy and performance in Science, Technology, Engineering andMathematics (STEM), and established the relationship among thesevariables. A sample of 721 undergraduate students majoring in STEM ina teacher education program was used. The study was conducted in onepublic university in Tanzania. The study reveals that there is a significantdifference in two aspects only. Specifically, male students held gendernegative stereotypes regarding females ' abilities in STEM. They were alsosignificantly self-officious as compared to female students. Surprisingly,it was revealed that females outperformed males in several masculinitytraits. In addition, there was a significant correlation among variables,with notable differences across gender.Keywords: femininity, gender, masculinity, self-efficacy, STEM, Tanzania