=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-3607/paper13
|storemode=property
|title=Participation of university women under regulations and strategies promoting gender equity in STEM/ICT careers in El Salvador
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3607/paper13.pdf
|volume=Vol-3607
|authors=Gabriela Carolina Reynosa Perez,Aguilar Navarro Marlene Elizabeth
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/lawcc/PerezE23a
}}
==Participation of university women under regulations and strategies promoting gender equity in STEM/ICT careers in El Salvador==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3607/paper13.pdf
Participation of university women under regulations and
strategies promoting gender equity in STEM/ICT careers in El
Salvador.
Gabriela Reynosa1, and Marlene Aguilar1
1
Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas, San Salvador, El Salvador
Abstract
The gender gap problem focused on the low participation of women in STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) university careers has been present since the first
discoveries in science and technology where it is considered that there are different causes such as
stereotypes which dictate what to do and be depending on gender, role models or models to follow.
These models have always been present throughout the history of mankind and have highlighted
men before the different discoveries in all fields the lack of recognition of women, has caused,
according to studies, women not to have a role model in the fields of their preference, among other
causes that directly and indirectly generate an imbalance before the phenomenon of the gender gap
in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), careers; However, governments,
non-profit foundations, private enterprise, and educational institutions at all levels of education at
national and international levels are concerned about how to improve the situation and have
developed policies, strategies, and projects to reduce this gap in STEM careers. Consequently, this
study seeks to answer if the presence of the female gender in STEM careers in HEIs in El Salvador
is a consequence of the different public and private initiatives, for the period 2013 - 2022, for which
the documentary - field research requested the collaboration of some institutions that are present in
the creation of policies, foundations and Higher Education Institutions – HEIs. The study revealed
with respect to enrollments there is a substantial increase from the year 2017, which allows relating
and validating the data that responds to the question posed by the research.
Keywords 1
El Salvador, gender, equality, policy, women, STEM
1. INTRODUCTION
The research is focused on the analysis of the participation of women who opt for university careers
in the STEM area (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), whose analysis is based on
the statistics of enrollment and graduates of the universities participating in the research in the period
of 2013 - 2022, with the objective of knowing if the increase of the female gender has a link with the
training projects in STEM that foundations, private enterprise and universities design and implement to
motivate young women to opt for a university career in the STEM field, some of these training projects:
“Muchas Más” and Science Girl Camp that arise since 2013 are currently recognized by the Salvadoran
academic population, at the same time the research mentions several causes such as the persistence of
analyzing the problem from gender stereotypes, the low participation of women in areas of technology,
little or no participation in events or publications, the role of role models, among other possible causes
that are part of the problem about gender gap in the selection of STEM careers.
Proceedings XV Congress of Latin American Women in Computing 2023, October 16–20, 2023, La Paz, Bolivia
EMAIL: meaguilar@uca.edu.sv (M. Aguilar); greynosa@uca.edu.sv (G. Reynosa)
©️2023Copyright for this paper by its authors.
Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
CEUR Workshop Proceedings (CEUR-WS.org)
CEUR
ceur-ws.org
Workshop ISSN 1613-0073
Proceedings
2. BACKGROUND
In order to go deeper into the research, it is pertinent to describe the following elements that are
implicit in the problem of the gender gap in the choice of STEM university careers.
2.1. Stereotype
A stereotype is an image or idea commonly accepted by a group or society with immutable character
according to the Royal Spanish Academy (RSA) [1], , In fact they are ideas, expectations, or behavioral
models according to gender, race or religion, which serve to comply with the roles imposed by society;
from this is born the term gender stereotypes, which are beliefs about the characteristics associated with
women and men that maintain gender discrimination [2], that is, they indicate a representation of being
and feeling, currently some entities struggle to break this type of ties, to do things that really satisfy
them regardless of whether society sees it as good or bad because it is not attributed to gender [3].
According to social role theory, stereotypical beliefs about gender groups arise because observing
that each group performs different social roles infers the existence of different internal dispositions. In
addition, gender stereotypes have important negative consequences because they limit the integral
development of individuals, influencing their preferences, skill development, aspirations, emotions,
physical condition, performance, etc. Understanding gender stereotypes helps to be clear about the
different components of gender to which stereotypical generalizations refer. For example, gender
stereotypes may refer to intellectual or cognitive abilities, a psychological profile or biological
differences that will render unnecessary any consideration of the attributes or characteristics of certain
individuals in these three aspects. Stereotypes about women's intellectual or cognitive capacities,
according to which these are weaker than those of men, are often used to deny women positions in
educational or professional sector [4]. Gender stereotypes are transmitted by society and, within the
education system, by teachers, the hidden curriculum and the scarcity of role models, as well as by the
low presence of women in science and technology and in power positions [5].
2.2. Role Models
A role model is a person who is admired and whose behavior one tries to imitate [6], therefore, it
can be understood as a figure that inspires any person to follow in his or her footsteps, and even to
surpass them [7].
Role Modeling Motivational Theory highlights the ways in which the power of role models can be
harnessed to increase the motivation of role applicants, reinforce their existing goals and facilitate the
adoption of new goals [8].
Shortage of female role models: When talking about science and technology, the vast majority of
the reference’s girls hear are male. Although the contribution of women in this field is immense,
especially in the field of technology, their contribution has been erased from popular culture (a good
example is the narration that cinema has made of 'Bletchley Park', the British base from which the secret
code of the Nazis was deciphered, where the role of women was fundamental since they were 75% of
those who worked there), and that in most films they are nothing more than a distraction or an
inspiration for the 'male geniuses'. This is a recurrent phenomenon in the most popular Hollywood
movies when it comes to showing scientists: male scientists outnumber their female colleagues by a
ratio of 2 to 1 and they are generally white, attractive, childless and unmarried [9].
For most women, the dream of becoming an astronaut, scientist, engineer, or mathematician begins
when they see other women succeeding in these areas. Evidence indicates that role models represent
and expand new possibilities.
They encourage women to be more ambitious and adopt behaviors that lead to professional success.
The study, "Female Leadership Increases Girls' Educational Aspirations and Achievement: A Policy
Experiment in India [10]. finds that exposure to women leaders and role models has a direct influence
on adolescent girls' career and educational aspirations [11].
2.3. Women and STEM /ICT
StackOverflow, is a website that allows you to ask programming questions for free. StackOverflow
is well known in the programming world. On the one hand, it is a Q&A portal where developers help
each other with their technical questions in a disinterested way. But it is also famous for its annual
reports that analyze which are the most popular programming languages or the average salary of its
users depending on role and country, based on a survey of 65,000 of its users. Also, the report includes
demographic data, drawing attention to the fact that only 8% of the surveyed users are women.
This worrying fact is another of the many that show that the STEM professional field, in contrast to
other sectors, continues to be a hostile place for women, and this is made clear to them from an early
age. The STEM field is one of those areas where the presence of women is not increasing at the level it
should according to their participation in society, but is even going backwards, creating what is known
as the STEM gap. An estimated 30% of women in the world study STEM careers (a percentage that
drops to 3% in careers related to information technology or 8% in engineering careers).
Focusing on the role of women in the world's leading technology companies, it can be seen that
despite their efforts they are clearly underrepresented. At Apple women represent 33% of its workforce.
If leadership positions are taken up again, this percentage drops to 29%. And when focusing on
exclusively technical positions there are only 23% women, a trend that is repeated in almost all
companies. At Facebook women represent 37% of the workforce, 34.2% if it is in leadership positions
and 24.1% in technical positions. At Google, women make up 31.6% of the workforce, a percentage
that drops to 26.1% in leadership positions and 25.7% in technical positions.
This male dominance of the sector makes it difficult for women to access leadership positions,
making the female perspective in the creation and development of projects less present. On the other
hand, it also means that there are few role models. Lack of role models perpetuates the stereotype that
men have greater competence than women for working in this sector [12].
2.4. Inspiring women in STEM
In El Salvador, Antonia Navarro Huezo, at 19 years of age, became the first woman university
graduate. First woman graduated from the University of El Salvador, she was also the first woman
graduate in the Central American region. And likewise, the first woman to graduate in Engineering in
all of Ibero-America.
In Guatemala, Africa Flores, is a scientist and explorer for National Geographic. She is an expert in
geospatial technology and in monitoring changes in soil and water created by climate change or natural
disasters.
In the United States, Cynthia Breazeal is known as a pioneer of modern computing. A female pioneer
in social interaction with artificial intelligence, Breazeal created the robot Jibo. In 2014, she was
awarded the George R. Stibitz Communications and Computing Pioneers Award, ¡definitely a great
example for young female programmers!
However, some of these inspiring women in STEM have been invisible for centuries. Globally,
women make up less than one-third of researchers and only 3% of Nobel Prizes in science have been
awarded to women, notes the United Nations Organization for Gender Equality and the Empowerment
of Women in a September 2020 study.
"For the Latin America and Caribbean region, in 2017, out of all researchers in engineering and
technology, just 36% were women in Uruguay; 26%, in Colombia; 24%, in Costa Rica; 17%, in El
Salvador; in Honduras 21.5%; and in Bolivia and Peru around 19%," the report adds [13].
2.5. Co-education
Coeducation is a form of education that aims to develop boys and girls integrally, promoting all their
capabilities and eliminating barriers related to sex and gender roles [14]. The objectives of coeducation
focus on correcting sexist stereotypes, proposing a balanced curriculum that eliminates sexist biases
and developing all individual abilities regardless of gender [15]. Coeducation is therefore a fundamental
axis in the children's development, to seek the formation of integral persons with the aim of eradicating
inequality and stereotypes, taking into account the characteristics and capabilities of each individual
and thus identifying the traits that can be highlighted to achieve gender equality.
2.6. Gender equality and women's autonomy
Women's autonomy means having the capacity and concrete conditions to freely make the decisions
that affect their lives. Achieving greater autonomy requires many and diverse issues, including freeing
women from exclusive responsibility for reproductive and care tasks, including the exercise of
reproductive rights; putting an end to gender-based violence; and adopting all necessary measures for
women to participate in decision-making on an equal footing [16].
The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean must accelerate the fulfillment of the
commitments assumed by governments to achieve gender equality and women's autonomy in the
region, within the framework of the current complex economic context and considering the multiple
challenges posed by technological, demographic and climatic transformations, maintains the Economic
Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean ECLAC. "Gender inequalities are an obstacle to
sustainable development, and the changes in the scenario facing the region are a manifestation of the
urgency of moving decisively towards styles of development that contemplate gender equality and
women's autonomy at their foundations, as well as the guarantee of the rights of all people without
exception," ECLAC points out. On the contrary, ECLAC points out that women are underrepresented
in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which limits their possibilities for
better economic insertion, and, in a global context of increasing expansion and volatility of financial
markets, unfavorable conditions of access to credit persist for them. The reconfiguration of economic
structures resulting from the technological revolution may represent an opportunity for women in the
region to achieve a more egalitarian participation in productive processes. However, if the
transformations underway are not approached from a perspective aimed at eliminating the structural
nodes of gender inequality, these changes will have differentiated and unequal effects, and the
possibility for women to take advantage of the opportunities offered by technologies will be threatened.
Without adequate public policies, women could face new risks to their insertion in the labor market
under decent working conditions and be excluded from the benefits of the jobs of the future. Some
countries in the region are therefore making progress in the implementation of transformative policies
that seek to reduce inequalities and bring technologies closer to the whole population [17].
2.7. Gender equality policies
Equality policies establish a set of principles and criteria to be developed through actions or
programs directed by the governments of each country in conjunction with public and private
institutions to promote substantive equality between men and women.
2.7.1. National
El Salvador is a signatory to the following international treaties that guarantee equality, non-
discrimination based on gender and a life free of violence for women: the Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Inter-American Convention on the
Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence Against Women, Belem Dó Pará. It is also a
country that has ratified the following ILO conventions to promote equality between women and men
in the world of work: Convention (No. 100) on Equal Remuneration (1951), Convention (No. 111) on
Discrimination in Employment and Occupation (1958) and Convention (No. 156) on Workers with
Family Responsibilities (1981) The country has made significant progress in its normative, institutional
and programmatic frameworks to ensure respect for women's rights and gender equality. Specific
examples include the creation of the Salvadoran Institute for the Development of Women (ISDEMU)
in 1996; the approval of the Law against Domestic Violence (1996); the Special Comprehensive Law
for a Life Free of Violence for Women (LEIV) (2010) and the Law for Equality, Equity and Eradication
of Discrimination against Women (LIE) (2011); National Equality Policy (2016-2020); the National
Policy for Women's Access to a Life Free of Violence and its National Plan (2016-2020), the National
Plan for Gender Equity and Equality for Salvadoran Women (2012); and the incorporation of a
minimum of 30% representation (2013) of women as candidates for local government and parliament
in the Law on Political Parties [18].
Gender Equity and Equality Policy (PEIG), The Ministry of Education, with support from
FOMILENIO II, formulated its first Gender Equity and Equality Policy (PEIG) and its Implementation
Plan for the period from September 2016 to September 2020. The policy implementation plan is
organized into three major areas of intervention that are closely related and interdependent, grouped for
methodological reasons as follows: inclusive non-sexist education, institutional mainstreaming, and
gender violence prevention. Likewise, the internal procedures and guidelines of the governing
institution of education, the curriculum, teaching methods, supervision, and evaluation systems, among
others, are impacted [19]
2.7.2. International
In Argentina, the National Plan for Equality in Diversity 2021-2023, is presented as a public policy
that seeks to generate concrete, effective, and sustainable transformations for overcoming gender-based
inequalities, focusing on the differential impact they generate on women and LGBTI+, adopting
targeted measures aimed at reversing the legal and factual obstacles faced, historically and structurally,
by women and LGBTI+ for the effective exercise of all their rights. It is, in short, a duty that aims to
dismantle situations of inequality and reduce the gaps that persist in different areas of social life,
including education, health, work, the digital world, caregiving, public political participation, and many
others [20].
Chile, Fourth National Plan for Equality between Women and Men 2018-2030, takes place in a
period marked by major transformations at the global and national levels and in the specific field of
gender relations, which, while opening opportunities, also imply important challenges for the quality of
democracy and its institutions, and for personal and social well-being. The enactment of Law 20,820,
which created the Ministry of Women and Gender Equity in March 2015, marks a milestone in the
Chilean State's commitment to substantive equality between women and men. Its mandate as the
governing body ensures the coordination, consistency, and coherence of policies, plans, and programs
on gender equity [21].
2.8. Strategies / Initiatives / public and private projects
Around the world, different companies, universities, and foundations are designing, developing and
implementing programs, courses, bootcamps, among others, with the objective of reducing the gender
gap in the selection of STEM careers, which are gradually gaining more strength and acceptance by
people and especially by governments that are also creating policies to promote the development and
equality of women in the STEM field.
2.8.1. National
The “Muchas Mas” Foundation has developed a 2021 - 2025 strategy in which the central axis of
the intervention of “Muchas Mas” is to facilitate access to higher education and the knowledge and
exercise of rights from a feminist perspective, experience has taught that, in order to break the
intergenerational cycle of poverty and be masters of their lives, it is key to develop strategies that
comprehensively address and sustain the needs, both academic and educational as well as economic,
psychological and relational. In the 2021-2025 period, personalized scholarships will continue to be
provided so that young women can access high school and university studies, strengthening the focus
on STEM careers, with the objective of contributing to breaking gender gaps in these areas and
expanding decent work opportunities for girls [22]. The objective of the campuses is to bring girls in
these areas closer to technology and digital skills so that they are also aware of the job opportunities
offered by these training areas. At the campus they learn computer skills, reinforce their basic
knowledge of science and technology subjects and broaden their study prospects [23].
The Altas Capacidades Foundation promotes a STEM program for girls in El Salvador in which they
develop online programming from the early ages of 6 to 16 so that they could decide their future and
contribute to the reduction of the gender gap and social inequalities. The Foundation has proposed the
law for the promotion of high capacities and extraordinary talent in the Salvadoran educational system
before the Ministry of Education of El Salvador - MINED, the proposed law aims at the promotion, of
early, individualized, complete, and timely attention of the Salvadoran girl, boy, and adolescent with
extraordinary capacities [24].
2.8.2. International
Microsoft celebrated 10 years of promoting the DigiGirlz program in El Salvador, which promotes
digital female empowerment, through practical technology workshops, coding, and activities for the
development of soft skills and inspirational talks, Microsoft has managed to sow curiosity and awaken
interest in science and technology [25].
The United Nations Development Programs (UNDP) Gender Equality Strategy 2022-2025, enables
it to help countries accelerate progress on gender equality and women's empowerment. The strategy
pursues three areas: finance, digitalization, and innovation UNDP, promoting equal access to
technology skills and STEM education. An example of success is the launch 2021 of Innovative Women
[26], a mentoring program for women digital leaders of social enterprises in 12 Arab states. Towards
better governance of digital activities, UNDP will open dialogues bringing women's rights movements,
policymakers, and the private sector together to advocate for norms that uphold gender equality and
women's rights in the digital sphere [27].
STEM4ALL is a joint UNDP and UNICEF platform in Europe and Central Asia dedicated to
accelerating gender equality and the representation of women and girls in STEM to meet the demands
of the future of work in the region [28].
3. METHODOLOGY
The type of documentary-field research, in terms of research design, is mixed and the scope of the
study is descriptive.
1. Materials and methods: Some of the techniques for qualitative-quantitative data collection: are
questionnaires with closed questions, structured interview in virtual/presential modality, using
software that facilitates data collection.
2. Population: The population is the Higher Education Institutions (HEI) of El Salvador, which
are integrated by 24 Universities, 11 specialized institutes, 11 specialized institutes, and 6
technological institutes, but for the study a profile was made highlighting some of the HEI, being
the study population 6 universities 5 private and 1 public; On the other hand, for the population of
national and international institutions, a profile was made for the selection of these institutions,
highlighting a population of 9 among which are government institutions, foundations, non-profit
organizations, and private enterprise; finally, with regard to the population of STEM careers, those
registered at the national level according to the Ministry of Education - MINED are taken into
account when applying the profile criteria created, the population is reduced to 8, those careers with
the highest demand at the national level according to the statistics of MINED.
3. Sample: The sample for the HEI study population was obtained through non-probabilistic
sampling by quotas; subsequently, the sample for the study population of the institutions was
obtained through non-probabilistic sampling by convenience and at the same time it was applied by
snowball; finally, for the sample of the study population of the STEM careers, the non-probabilistic
sampling by convenience was applied.
4. Criteria for obtaining the sample of Higher Education institutions
• Academic offer of STEM careers
• Linkage with promotional projects in STEM/ICT training areas
• Geographic area Central
5. Criteria for obtaining the sample of the 6 STEM programs
• Highest student demand according to statistics from the Ministry of Education - MINED.
6. Criteria for obtaining non-educational institutions participating in the study
• Being a non-educational institution
• Linkage with projects, policies, and promotion strategies in STEM/ICT training.
• Geographic area Central
4. RESULTS
4.1. Statistics on women by career before and after the implementation or
linkage with STEM initiatives and/or projects - Universidad Centroamericana
José Simeón Cañas (UCA)
Table 1
Enrollment record by female gender for the period 2013 - 2022 - UCA
Careers 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Architecture 497 443 411 456 501 527 731 487 780 682
Civil Engineering 167 172 187 210 227 216 296 274 303 261
Electrical Engineering 38 40 48 62 68 65 93 79 71 46
Computer Engineering 0 0 0 0 122 167 244 266 310 275
Mechanical Engineering 43 44 46 54 50 68 83 92 68 40
Chemical Engineering 332 317 319 355 410 475 577 609 642 490
Figure 1: Enrollment statistics - UCA
Figure 1 shows the statistics corresponding to the Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas,
which reflects the number of female students enrolled in the period 2013 - 2021, in some of the STEM
careers. In the period 2013 - 2022 the careers with the highest demand for enrollment by young women:
the career of Architecture 9.01%, 8.03%, 7.45%, 8.27%, 9.08%, 9.56%,13.25%, 8.83%, 14. 14%,
12.37%; Chemical Engineering career 7.34%, 7.0%, 7.05%, 7.85%, 9.06%, 10.49%, 12.75%, 13.46%,
14.18%, 10.83%; Civil Engineering career 7.22%, 7.44%, 8.08%, 8.08%, 9.08%, 9. 81%, 9.34%,
12.80%, 11.85%, 13.10%, 11.18%; the Mechanical Engineering career 7.31%, 7.48%, 7.82%, 9.18%,
8.50%, 11.56%, 14.12%, 15.65%, 11.56%, 6.80%; the Electrical Engineering career 6. 23%, 6.56%,
7.87%, 10.16%, 11.15%, 10.66%, 15.25%, 12.95%, 11.64%, 7.54% and the Computer Engineering
career 0.0%, 0.0%, 0.0%, 0.0%, 0.0%, 8.82%, 12.07%, 17.63%, 19.22%, 22.40%, 19.87%.
4.2. Statistics of women by career before and after the implementation or
linkage with STEM training initiatives and/or projects - Universidad de El
Salvador - School of Engineering and Architecture (UES -FIA)
Table 2
Enrollment record by female gender for the period 2013 - 2022 - UES - FIA
Careers 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Architecture 758 761 758 753 758 749 751 793 840 826
Civil Engineering 338 336 322 333 325 333 347 334 376 319
Computer Engineering 540 515 470 476 528 578 581 597 722 684
Electrical Engineering 60 81 82 83 73 106 110 130 130 92
Mechanical Engineering 51 69 81 74 92 115 119 126 135 95
Chemical Engineering 267 307 326 330 340 355 362 384 402 351
Figure 2: Enrollment statistics - UES - FIA
Figure 2 shows the statistics corresponding to the University of El Salvador, Faculty of Engineering
and Architecture - FIA, which reflects the number of female students enrolled in the period 2013 - 2021,
in some of the STEM careers. In the period 2013 - 2022 the careers with the highest demand for
enrollment by young women: the career of Architecture 9.78%, 9.82%, 9.78%, 9.72%, 9.78%, 9.67%,
9.69%, 10.24%, 10. 84%, 10.66%; the Computer Systems Engineering major 9.49%, 9.05%, 8.26%,
8.36%, 9.28%, 10.16%, 10.21%, 10.49%, 12.69%, 12.02%; the Civil Engineering major 10.05%,
9.99%, 9. 57%, 9.90%, 9.66%, 9.90%, 10.32%, 9.93%, 11.18%, 9.49%; Chemical Engineering career
7.80%, 8.97%, 9.52%, 9.64%, 9.93%, 10.37%, 10.57%, 11.21%, 11.74%, 10.25%; Electrical
Engineering career 6. 34%, 8.55%, 8.66%, 8.76%, 7.71%, 11.19%, 11.62%, 13.73%, 13.73%, 13.73%,
9.71%; the Mechanical Engineering major 5.33%, 7.21%, 8.46%, 7.73%, 9.61%, 12.02%, 12.43%,
13.17%, 14.11%, 9.93%.
4.3. Statistics on female graduates - Universidad Centroamericana José
Simeón Cañas (UCA)
Table 3
Record of female graduates by gender in the period 2013 - 2022 - UES - FIA
Careers 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Architecture 18 28 23 26 28 29 21 37 29 39
Civil Engineering 5 2 9 8 2 16 1 11 9 13
Electrical Engineering 2 3 4 1 3 4 3 4 6 6
Computer Engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 7 9
Mechanical
Engineering 1 0 3 5 1 3 6 0 6 6
Chemical Engineering 12 15 14 13 14 12 18 24 20 26
Figure 3: Statistics of female graduates - UCA
Figure 3 shows the statistics corresponding to the Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas,
which reflects the number of female students graduating in the period 2013 - 2021, from some of the
STEM careers. In the period 2013 - 2022 the careers with the highest demand for graduates by young
women: the career of Architecture 6.47%, 10.07%, 10.07%, 8.27%, 9.35%, 10.07%, 10.43%, 7.55%,
13.31%, 10. 43%, 14.03%; Chemical Engineering major 7.14%, 8.93%, 8.33%, 7.74%,
8.33%,7.14%,10.71%, 14.29%, 11.90%, 15.48%; Civil Engineering major 6.58%, 2.63%, 11.84%,
10.53%, 2. 63%, 21.05%, 1.32%, 14.47%, 11.84%, 17.11%; the Electrical Engineering career 5.56%,
8.33%, 11.11%, 2.78%, 8.33%, 11.11%, 8.33%, 11.11%, 16.67%, 16.67%; the Mechanical Engineering
career 3. 23%, 0.0%, 9.68%, 16.13%, 3.23%, 9.68%, 19.35%, 0.0%, 19.35%, 19.35% and the Computer
Engineering career 0.0%, 0.0%, 0.0%, 0.0%, 0.0%, 0.0%, 0.0%, 0.0%, 18.18%, 9.09%, 31.82%,
40.91%
4.4. Statistics on female graduates - Universidad de El Salvador - Faculty of
Engineering and Architecture - (UES - FIA).
Table 4
Record of graduates by female gender in the period 2013 - 2022 - UES - FIA
Careers 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Architecture 12 20 30 25 27 34 41 14 38 27
Civil Engineering 5 7 6 6 13 10 10 4 9 13
Computer Engineering 25 15 23 10 20 15 18 12 22 14
Electrical Engineering 0 0 1 2 5 0 2 0 3 7
Mechanical Engineering 0 3 1 1 2 0 0 1 1 3
Chemical Engineering 12 1 6 11 11 9 16 17 14 16
Figure 4: Statistics of graduates - UES - FIA
Figure 4 shows the statistics corresponding to the University of El Salvador of the Faculty of
Engineering and Architecture - FIA, which reflects the number of female students who graduated in the
period 2013 - 2021, from some of the STEM careers. In the period 2013 - 2022, the careers with the
highest demand for graduates by young women are Computer Systems Engineering 14.37%, 8.62%,
13.22%, 5.75%, 11. 49%, 8.62%, 10.34%, 6.90%, 12.64%, 8.05%; Architecture 4.48%, 7.46%, 11.19%,
9.33%, 10.07%, 12.69%, 15.30%, 5.22%, 14.18%, 10.07%; Chemical Engineering 10.62%, 0. 88%,
5.31%, 9.31%, 9.73%, 9.73%, 7.96%, 14.16%, 15.04%, 12.39%, 14.16%; the Civil Engineering career
6.02%, 8.43%, 7.23%, 7.23%, 7.23%, 15.66%, 12.05%, 12.05%, 12.05%, 4.82%, 10.84%, 15. 66%;
Mechanical Engineering major 0.0%, 25.0%, 8.33%, 8.33%, 8.33%, 16.67%, 0.0%, 8.33%, 8.33%,
8.33%, 25.0%; Electrical Engineering major 0.0%, 0.0%, 0.0%, 5.0%, 10.0%, 25.0%, 0.0%, 10.0%,
0.0%, 15.0%, 35.0%.
5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
In figure 1 - 2 referring to enrollments, it is visualized in the period from 2013 - 2022, an increase
and decrease year after year, but from 2017 onwards it is possible to visualize a substantial increase
year by year in the selected STEM careers: Architecture, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering,
Computer Engineering or Computer Systems, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering for
which the current study considers that the projects carried out by foundations and universities play a
fundamental role as a factor responsible for the increase in enrollments in STEM careers in Higher
Education Institutions in El Salvador, since some of the foundations such as Muchas Más intensifies its
efforts in the STEM area in 2017 added to this other projects betting on STEM arise; however in the
year 2022 a drop in enrollments is visualized in all the careers mentioned above and for the 2 universities
selected for the study Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas and Universidad de El
Salvador, so the current study considers a new starting point for another research and that allows to
know the cause that may justify the decrease by female students, since the foundations and university
continue efforts in the development of programs, strategies, among others that allow to break the gender
gaps in the selection of a STEM career by women in El Salvador.
As for figure 3 - 4 referring to the percentage of graduates of the selected careers Architecture, Civil
Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Engineering or Computer Systems, Mechanical
Engineering and Electrical Engineering, it is proportional to the percentage of income, so it is concluded
that the students complete their undergraduate studies until they obtain their university degree.
6. PROPOSAL
Profile design of the young woman who chooses STEM/ICT careers, which will make it possible to
describe personal characteristics, general knowledge, technical knowledge, communication skills, and
attitudes in order to make young women visible and provide follow-up so that they can select a
university career in accordance with their profile, and will also serve as a tool to reduce the gender gap
in the selection of a STEM/ICT career for their professional practice.
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