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What Challenges Affect Arab Women’s Engagement in STEM Fields, Particularly Engineering: A Systematized Literature Review

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

Women in Engineering Division (WIED) Technical Session 4

Tagged Division

Women in Engineering Division (WIED)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

19

DOI

10.18260/1-2--44609

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/44609

Download Count

363

Paper Authors

biography

Nadah Al Theeb Purdue Engineering Education

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Nadah Al Theeb is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University. She earned her BSc in Mechanical Engineering and MSc in Industrial Engineering, both from Jordan University of Science and Technology. In addition to her academic background, Nadah has experience in engineering education. Her passion for diversity and inclusivity in STEM, particularly for Arab women, drives her work. She hopes to use her experience to encourage more women, especially those from underrepresented communities, to pursue engineering and make a change in the field by raising women's voices.

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Abstract

Arab women confront numerous challenges restricting their engagement in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, particularly in engineering. This study conducted a systematized literature review to identify these challenges, guided by the research question: “What challenges affect Arab women’s engagement in STEM fields, particularly engineering?” A search was conducted using databases such as ERIC, Education Source from the EBSCO platform, and Compendex, Inspec from the Engineering Village platform. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of twelve peer-reviewed articles were selected and analyzed to examine the challenges that Arab women encounter in these fields. The analysis revealed three main themes: The inherent nature of Arab culture and society and the role of family support in the Engineering field, gender stereotyping in Arab and engineering cultures, and the characteristics of the Arab workplace and employment. Addressing these challenges is crucial for promoting Arab women’s engagement in engineering, which benefits women and contributes to the growth and development of the economy and society as a whole. This study offers several recommendations for overcoming these barriers, such as raising awareness, providing mentorship and support, creating flexible work schedules and family-friendly policies, fostering diversity and inclusion, and promoting gender equality in the workplace.

Al Theeb, N. (2023, June), What Challenges Affect Arab Women’s Engagement in STEM Fields, Particularly Engineering: A Systematized Literature Review Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44609

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