Beyond the gender gap: The role of cultural, socioeconomic, and familial factors in Vietnamese students’ STEM major choices

This mixed-methods study explores gender disparities in STEM major choices among Vietnamese high school seniors (12th graders), with a focus on the cultural, socioeconomic, and familial factors associated with these patterns. Quantitative analysis of survey data from 3583 students revealed that female students were significantly less inclined to choose STEM disciplines compared to their male counterparts, even after accounting for academic performance. Qualitative interviews with 40 students offered deeper insights into how traditional gender norms and cultural expectations contribute to this disparity. When considering socioeconomic factors, surprisingly, both our quantitative and qualitative data indicated that students from rural, lower socioeconomic backgrounds were more likely to pursue STEM majors than their urban, higher socioeconomic peers. This intriguing finding contrasts with typical educational patterns reported in previous research, where urban, affluent students tend to dominate STEM fields. The disparity can be attributed to rural students’ strategic view of STEM careers as pathways to high-income careers that support their families, coupled with their perception that STEM fields in Vietnam offer more merit-based opportunities, irrespective of socioeconomic background. In addition, we found that fathers’ expectations of their children's educational level had a significant and positive effect on the likelihood of students choosing STEM majors, while mothers’ expectations did not have the same effect. Our findings highlight the roles of gender, socioeconomic status, and parental expectation in shaping Vietnamese seniors’ STEM major choices. The study offers recommendations for policymakers and educators to address the STEM gender gap in Vietnam and beyond.