Abstract
This article comprises a systematic review of the literature on women leaders’ career
progression to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) research
leadership in Indonesia published from 2000–2024. It aims to map the field and
summarise the evidence base to date and provides a ‘go to’ reference point for a broad
range of stakeholders to fill a gap in the literature around women’s career progression
to STEM research leadership in Indonesia. There are 18 items included in the review
which includes peer reviewed and grey literature, with the majority from the grey
literature such as reports, conference proceedings and theses, rather than journal
articles. The reviewed items highlight how, despite government initiatives to
strengthen girls’ participation in STEM, there remains an under-representation in
higher education. This is due to macro, meso and micro influences, including
stereotypes and systemic barriers that discourage girls and women from pursuing
STEM careers. Even when they do not slip through the ‘leaky pipeline’ and pursue
STEM careers, they often face limited opportunities, lower-level roles, and institutional
challenges hindering their advancement to leadership roles. There are responses and
enablers to support women with these barriers, including networks, training and
mentoring which are part of a bottom-up movement to change mindsets. However,
these enablers need to be part of a multi-level response which includes national
infrastructure, funding, local development plans, institutional policies and
commitments in addition to shifting mindsets of where women can work and what they
can achieve in STEM leadership careers in Indonesia.
progression to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) research
leadership in Indonesia published from 2000–2024. It aims to map the field and
summarise the evidence base to date and provides a ‘go to’ reference point for a broad
range of stakeholders to fill a gap in the literature around women’s career progression
to STEM research leadership in Indonesia. There are 18 items included in the review
which includes peer reviewed and grey literature, with the majority from the grey
literature such as reports, conference proceedings and theses, rather than journal
articles. The reviewed items highlight how, despite government initiatives to
strengthen girls’ participation in STEM, there remains an under-representation in
higher education. This is due to macro, meso and micro influences, including
stereotypes and systemic barriers that discourage girls and women from pursuing
STEM careers. Even when they do not slip through the ‘leaky pipeline’ and pursue
STEM careers, they often face limited opportunities, lower-level roles, and institutional
challenges hindering their advancement to leadership roles. There are responses and
enablers to support women with these barriers, including networks, training and
mentoring which are part of a bottom-up movement to change mindsets. However,
these enablers need to be part of a multi-level response which includes national
infrastructure, funding, local development plans, institutional policies and
commitments in addition to shifting mindsets of where women can work and what they
can achieve in STEM leadership careers in Indonesia.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 4 |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| Journal | Educational Futures Journal |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published (VoR) - 1 Jul 2025 |
Funding
STEMPower project
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Not added |
Keywords
- STEM
- higher education
- leadership
- women
- gender inequality
- Indonesia