From Studentship to Academia: The Academic Female STEM Trajectory in Ghana

Abstract

At all levels of education in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplinary fields, there are disparities in participation according to gender. This study explores the educational and professional experiences of female faculty in STEM in universities in Ghana. In-depth semi-structured interviews were undertaken employing 20 participants from universities in Ghana. Findings indicate that despite their success fueled by the support system available to them, gender disparities, fostered by patriarchy, characterized these women’s educational and professional experiences. Their gendered experiences were exacerbated in the higher education workplace as some sources of support turned to be sources of discrimination. This was because the women were perceived as threats to the patriarchal status quo as they surged in the academic STEM trajectory.