Date of Award
5-1-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Sociology
First Advisor
Kirsten Dellinger
Second Advisor
Ana M. Velitchkova
Third Advisor
James M. Thomas
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Women leave STEM not because of a lack of ability, but because of the classroom and institutional conditions they encounter once they arrive. This study examines how classroom experiences shape women’s decisions to persist in or leave STEM majors at the college level. Drawing on the sociological frameworks of doing gender, gendered organizations, and intersectionality, this study explores how gender, race, and class shape women’s experiences of belonging, support, discouragement, and recognition in STEM. Using 21 semi-structured interviews and 4 classroom observations at the University of Mississippi, the study analyzes the experiences of undergraduate women who remained in STEM, women who switched out of STEM, and graduate women teaching undergraduate STEM courses.
The findings show that persistence in STEM is shaped not only by academic demands, but also by academic loneliness, faculty doubt, subtle forms of bias, uneven access to mentorship and support, and the emotional and relational labor required to remain in the field. For women who left STEM, attrition was tied less to inability than to exclusionary classroom cultures that made staying feel unsustainable. These dynamics do not disappear as women advance but instead shift from the student seat to the front of the room. Overall, this study argues that retention in STEM should be understood not simply as an individual issue, but as a pedagogical and institutional one.
Recommended Citation
Dapaah, Sarah, "Staying in STEM?: A Qualitative Exploration of Women’s College Classroom Experiences in STEM Education" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 8809.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/8809