Has the gender gap narrowed in student admissions in engineering STEM courses? Evidence from Nigerian university

Abstract

Despite the emphasis on Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 5, which advocate for quality education and gender equity for all, the gender gap in the admission and enrolment of students in STEM fields, particularly in engineering, persists. The study, therefore, investigated the extent SDG has been achieved in the enrolment of students into Engineering courses. Faculty of Engineering in Nigeria University was used. The population of the is 6,159 (5,481 males and 678 females). Documentation analysis was used for quantitative data collection, while the Interview guide was used for qualitative data collection. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentages, and Chi-square (x2). Findings indicate that there exists a gender gap in enrolment among students admitted to Engineering courses in the university, among others. It was recommended that the government, parents, students, and teachers/lecturers have a lot of roles to play to see that this gender disparity or gap is narrowed.