STEP UP 4 Women: Impact on Young Women's Career Goals

While many STEM career fields have reached gender parity in recent decades, only 20% of physics bachelor degree holders are women. STEP UP 4 Women is a nationwide initiative with the goal of increasing the representation of women in physics by working with high school physics teachers across the country to recruit young women to become physics majors. The project utilizes research-based strategies that aim to highlight the utility of a physics degree as well as support the physics identity development of young women. In this talk we will discuss how students’ perceptions of physics are affected by the career exploration lesson through an analysis of student and teacher artifacts. Data collected include teacher reflections, student open-ended survey responses, and student work such as career profiles in which they envision themselves achieving their goals with a physics degree. For more information, please visit www.stepup4women.org.