Gemma Molyneux
Gemma's PhD project title is 'Investigating how pupils’ everyday lives form their perspective on STEM.' Read more about Gemma's research.
Project description
Technology shapes so much of our world; women need to be a part of moulding these technologies that shape our environment and future. More than 7 out of 10 of the STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) work force are men (WISE 2021). What young people choose to take at A-level is not just a subject, it is also the opportunity to participate in certain industries.
Feminist Science and Technology Studies (STS) scholarship has argued that this imbalance results from masculine gendering of STEM. While this literature highlights the normative construction of STEM as masculine, impacting young women’s educational participation, few explore this within the broader context of young women’s lives. This research project examines influences on high school young women’s everyday lives; what affects their subject decision; their consumption of STEM; how they navigate school life and what motivates fewer young women to take technology-based subjects at A-level than young men.
The research methods are textual analysis of National Curriculum and exam board data, one to one semi-structured online interviews with teachers and photo elicitation group interviews with young people. The interviews were focused on young people in the North East of England and teachers who have taught there.
Teaching
- Seminar Leader - HSS8005 Introduction to Quantitative Analysis
- Seminar Leader and Module Assessor - SOC1030 The Sociological Imagination: An Introduction to the Discipline
- TA Support - SOC2070 Researching Social Life II
- Module Assessor - SOC1032 Politics and Society
Academic Qualifications, Organisational Membership and Achievements
Qualifications
- Sociology and Social Research MA
- Design and Manufacturing BEng, 1st Class Honours
Achievements
- Strategic Supplier Development Specialist: directing procurement spend of £38M across 700+ suppliers delivering year on year cost reductions.
- Six Sigma Black Belt: delivering over £3M in direct savings through Six Sigma (improvement) projects
- Interface with Refugees: process improvements and case file screening for UNHCR Cairo.
- International project experience and engagement within different cultures
- Sarbanes Oxley auditor: ensuring group compliance with SOX requirements