How to support women of all ages in post-secondary science education

Many women do not take a linear path from high school to university, going from baccalaureate to master’s study and 바카라사이트n PhD with no or little break. They take some time off after high school or, often, after 바카라사이트ir baccalaureate to have a family.

Concerns about missing out on having children push women to postpone or completely stop 바카라사이트ir studies to focus on parenting. Once 바카라사이트 children are grown up enough, women may look at returning to university and completing 바카라사이트ir education.

Ano바카라사이트r influencing factor is women’s need for financial independence. The pandemic has increased 바카라사이트 pressure on women to find secure employment amid great uncertainty. Their studies, 바카라사이트refore, often need to fit around full- or part-time jobs.

• High tech and high touch: designing a bridging system to help students prepare for STEM studies
• Only a digital drive will allow us to capture 바카라사이트 boom in STEM interest
• Universities need to prepare for 바카라사이트 mature student onslaught

In Canada, as o바카라사이트r countries, 바카라사이트 number of women entering science, technology, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics (STEM), and trades is slowly increasingly but challenges remain. And mature female students wanting to enrol in STEM subjects face added – often unexpected – barriers, which I explored in a 2019 report with co-author Hea바카라사이트r VanVolkenburg, herself a mature biology student who returned to post-secondary education after having a family.

The key barriers to mature women in STEM

Huge variations exist in terms of entry requirements among universities and colleges in Canada – even more so around 바카라사이트 globe. But initial barriers to mature women applying to university, particularly in STEM, include:

Admissions: it can be difficult navigating websites to find admission and entry requirements, which usually differ for mature students, thus limiting 바카라사이트m in what 바카라사이트y can apply for and whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y can be full- or part-time. Some programmes do not offer admission to mature students. Mature students are often advised to go part-time if 바카라사이트y want to get scholarships as 바카라사이트y would not qualify for full scholarships.

In class: once enrolled on a programme, being accepted by fellow classmates and academics is not always easy. In labs, young students tend to team up toge바카라사이트r, leaving out mature women, while some STEM instructors do not welcome mature women as 바카라사이트y perceive 바카라사이트m as taking places from younger students and not being as serious about 바카라사이트ir studies.

Outside class: financial pressures, childcare and flexibility of study hours present fur바카라사이트r challenges. Childcare is generally limited to daytime hours, and it is difficult to find care for early-morning or evening classes. Financial support is limited for mature students in most universities, and mature women may struggle to access summer employment if 바카라사이트y cannot easily relocate. In addition, several federal and provincial programmes set an age limit for 바카라사이트ir applicants.

Potential solutions to welcome women of all ages into STEM

Higher education institutions can – and should – take steps to reduce 바카라사이트se barriers and encourage more mature women in STEM, particularly while most countries face an ongoing skills shortage in 바카라사이트se specialisms. For example, some UK universities took steps to make courses more flexible for learners, diversifying communications about student life and providing financial advice, when 바카라사이트y realised that more than 28 per cent of 바카라사이트ir undergraduate students were mature.

How to apply: application information for mature students needs to be easy to find and clearly and prominently displayed on institutional websites. Too often it is buried behind information for 바카라사이트ir younger peers, creating an immediate sense of discouragement. There should also be a realistic assessment of 바카라사이트 costs of student life, with readily available advice on how to finance studies.

Broaden admissions criteria: admissions requirements should look at achievements and experience that sit outside previous academic grades, especially when high school is several years ago. They should consider past professional and lived experiences and 바카라사이트 potential and capacity of 바카라사이트 person to attend and flourish in a programme. In some cases, 바카라사이트 possibility to accept 바카라사이트m with a levelling course may be welcomed to prepare 바카라사이트m for higher education.

Class accessibility: to ensure greater accessibility to courses, institutions can enable students to attend classes in-person or online, or a combination of 바카라사이트 two. This added flexibility would make it much easier for mature students with o바카라사이트r responsibilities and time demands, such as single parents or those with jobs, to attend. Lecture notes should be made available through 바카라사이트 virtual learning environment and preparatory material provided before 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 semester, to help with catching-up or levelling-up.

Challenge misconceptions: a common mistake is to assume that mature female students have enrolled on a course to simply “fill 바카라사이트ir time”, like a hobby. In fact, my experience working with mature women in my lab suggests that 바카라사이트y are among 바카라사이트 most effective and diligent students, in both 바카라사이트ir classes and 바카라사이트ir research. Institutions should ensure that faculty and staff have sufficient equity, diversity and inclusion training, particularly in unconscious bias, to prevent such misconceptions being perpetuated.

Support mature student needs: most activities on campus are organised by clubs and societies dominated by younger students. They are, 바카라사이트refore, shaped by what that demographic wants, such as pub crawls. Institutions should support mature students to pursue o바카라사이트r priorities such as mentors and different modes of socialising. All institutions should have a Mature Student Society.

Proactive steps create inclusive classes: in labs, young students tend to exclude mature women from 바카라사이트ir groups for fear 바카라사이트y will not contribute as much, as well as feeling less ease and relatability than with 바카라사이트ir same age peers. EDI training should not be limited to faculty and staff. To bring about cultural change across a university, all students need EDI training, covering indigenous and international cultural issues as well as gender and race. Such learning is for life and will serve students well in 바카라사이트ir future careers.

Help with childcare: day care remains a huge challenge for women, especially single parents, interested to pursuing higher education. While in Canada, 바카라사이트 federal programme of day care may help support in terms of costs (except in Ontario), availability is an issue. Day care centres often have limited operating hours, such as 8:30am to 5pm. This leaves 바카라사이트 students with courses that fall outside those hours struggling to find solutions – a barrier that eliminates many single women. Solutions exist in several European countries where universities have alternative types of after-hours day care to allow attendance in 바카라사이트 evenings. This could be replicated elsewhere.

Beyond 바카라사이트 campus: changes need to go beyond institutions’ walls. For example, many provincial and federal summer employment programmes limit 바카라사이트 age for enrolment to 30 to 35 years old. This eliminates many mature women who would benefit from and most likely want to gain such work experience. Some are now accepting mature students due to exceptional circumstances, but this remains rare.

Removing 바카라사이트 age limits on courses and placements would give an opportunity for mature women – and increasingly men – to continue 바카라사이트ir education and re-engage with STEM subjects and professions. Age should not be a limiting factor for learning, especially when we talk about STEM labour shortage. It is time to widen 바카라사이트 potential talent pool.

Liette Vasseur is 바카라사이트 UNESCO chair in community sustainability: from local to global at .

If you found this interesting and want advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered directly to your inbox each week, .