Persistence and Attrition in STEM Majors for a Career Choice

STEM fields are viewed as being important for global economic development, as well as for the well-being of society. Many factors, including knowledge of future pay and other occupational insights, influence university major selection. This paper reports the findings from an empirical study of diploma, undergraduate, and postgraduate on the relationship between gender equality and university support with students’ views on STEM careers, as well as their persistence and attrition in STEM majors. The findings from PLS-SEM analysis shows that gender equality did positively affect students’ views on STEM careers and students’ persistence in STEM majors. It was also found that gender equality did not affect students’ attrition. In contrast, the university support did not positively affect students’ views on STEM careers and students’ attrition in STEM majors. However, university support was found to positively affect students’ persistence in STEM majors. The implications of the findings are that the university can channel its support systems in nurturing the students’ skills and knowledge by providing physical and psychosocial support for the students to persist in STEM majors. Hence, encouraging more students to opt for STEM majors is necessary to enhance the global economy so that it can contribute to the well-being not just of the STEM graduates, but the society and nation as well.