Persistence and career choices of female Finnish university physics students

Abstract

Finland is often seen and admired as an equity and education-focused country. They have policies that champion gender equity and a world-renowned K-12 education system, with students ranking among the top on international metrics. However, little is known on whether these policies and early education experiences support gender equity in postsecondary education and beyond, particularly in fields that struggle to support women. The few studies that exist indicate that despite having aptitude and national policy that seeks to create gender equity, women may not pursue physics careers. As part of a larger project, we present findings from a study on Finnish physics students enrolled in Finnish universities. Results indicate that students in this study have experiences and attributes that contribute to persisting in physics. When examining these data for gender, we found that women are no more likely to consider leaving physics than men. We also found that female PhD students tend to be interested in non-academic careers more than men.