FACTORS AFFECTING THE CHOICE OF HIGH TECH ENGINEERING MAJORS FOR UNIVERSITY WOMEN AND MEN IN BANGLADESH

摘要

In contrast to western countries which are experiencing declines in female enrollment in high tech engineering (HTE), Bangladesh has experienced a continuous increase in female enrollment in engineering. In order to better understand the factors driving the choice of HTE as a major, survey data was collected from 590 male and female students in HTE majors in Bangladesh. Hypotheses related to gender differences in the influence of various factors on major choice were examined using t-tests. Results revealed that, while several factors had a similar impact for women and men, gender differences in self-efficacy and socio-economic status persist and may represent barriers to women's participation.