„Student conceptions of primary school pupils regarding MINT occupations”

Recent data from December 2018 (Bundesagentur für Arbeit, 2020) clearly shows that boys and girls still choose their occupations gender-specific according to predominant stereotypes. The question arises, why career choices remain unchanged, even after decades of emancipatory action.

Career choices are crucial since they structure everyday life, offer individuals a form of personal identity and define their happiness and quality of life (Bussey & Bandura, 1999: 692). Furthermore, the topic of career choices is relevant for society and social participation. On the one hand, gender-specific career choices lead to social inequalities (e.g. low income in ‘women’s occupations).On the other hand, the labour market changes caused by globalisation and digitalisation ascribe an increasing importance to the MINT- sector. The number of women working in the MINT-sector is significantly lower than that of men (15% female employed persons in 2018) (Anger, Koppel, Plünnecke, Röben, & Schüler, 2019). Additionally, the societal crucial MINT-sector suffers from a shortage of skilled workers.