A new study has found that socioeconomic status (SES) has the strongest impact on whether secondary school students study the STEM sciences.

A research team drew on data from over 4,300 pupils in Australia, and also looked at Indigenous students who are less likely to study all sciences.

Lead by Dr Grant Cooper of RMIT University and Professor Amanda Berry of Monash University, the study — published in the International Journal of Science Education — highlighted the demographic predictors of secondary student science enrolment. They found that female students are much less likely to study physics, more likely to study biology, and have roughly average participation in other areas such as chemistry.

The study notes, however, that these categories are not mutually exclusive. Indigeneity, gender, and low SES status can all manifest in the same student, complicating the results.

The authors point out a worrying lack of initiatives to improve low SES students’ access to science. «Australia has one of the highest levels of school social segregation of all OECD countries, meaning schools mainly enrol students from low or high SES backgrounds.»

This problem is worsened by a lack of diversity in school syllabi.

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