Theses and dissertations

This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students. 

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An Analysis on the Underrepresentation of Women in STEM fields

Description
During the transition between high school and college, there is an enormous decline in the number of women who pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Even in the STEM workforce, the gender gap is quite large. This results in a lot of wasted potential and talent that is needed…

During the transition between high school and college, there is an enormous decline in the number of women who pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Even in the STEM workforce, the gender gap is quite large. This results in a lot of wasted potential and talent that is needed to stay competitive in today's world. This thesis is divided into three parts: identifying a problem, analyzing possible causes, and highlighting various solutions. By using resources such as the Collegeboard, it is apparent that high schools girls over represent in AP and honors math and science classes and achieve just as much as their male counterparts. Due to various causes such as stereotyping, implicit bias, lesser developed spatial skills, lack of confidence, lack of female role models, and uncomfortable work environments, girls are deterred from pursuing STEM majors in college. Of those that do declare a major in STEM, many switch to a non-STEM major by the end of their first year. Even in the workforce, a majority of women in STEM leave midway through their career (after about 10 years). Although there are critics who claim that women do not have the biological ability to succeed in STEM, evidence proves otherwise. The underrepresentation of women in STEM fields has become such a known issue that there have been many recent programs and organizations put in place to encourage young women to pursue STEM. By evaluating the success of these programs and using them as a models, we can reduce the gender gap in STEM fields in the future.
ContributorsNahon, Leah H. (Author) / Duerden, Sarah (Thesis director) / Brewer, Kathleen (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
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Ethnic Discrimination, Socioeconomic Status, and Health in India

Description

Significant health inequalities exist between different castes and ethnic communities in India, and identifying the roots of these inequalities is of interest to public health research and policy. Research on caste-based health inequalities in India has historically focused on general, government-defined categories, such as “Scheduled Castes,” “Scheduled Tribes,” and “Other…

Significant health inequalities exist between different castes and ethnic communities in India, and identifying the roots of these inequalities is of interest to public health research and policy. Research on caste-based health inequalities in India has historically focused on general, government-defined categories, such as “Scheduled Castes,” “Scheduled Tribes,” and “Other Backward Classes.” This method obscures the diversity of experiences, indicators of well-being, and health outcomes between castes, tribes, and other communities in the “scheduled” category. This study analyzes data on 699,686 women from 4,260 castes, tribes and communities in the 2015-2016 Demographic and Health Survey of India to: (1) examine the diversity within and overlap between general, government-defined community categories in both wealth, infant mortality, and education, and (2) analyze how infant mortality is related to community category membership and socioeconomic status (measured using highest level of education and household wealth). While there are significant differences between general, government-defined community categories (e.g., scheduled caste, backward class) in both wealth and infant mortality, the vast majority of variation between communities occurs within these categories. Moreover, when other socioeconomic factors like wealth and education are taken into account, the difference between general, government-defined categories reduces or disappears. These findings suggest that focusing on measures of education and wealth at the household level, rather than general caste categories, may more accurately target those individuals and households most at risk for poor health outcomes. Further research is needed to explain the mechanisms by which discrimination affects health in these populations, and to identify sources of resilience, which may inform more effective policies.
ContributorsClauss, Colleen (Author) / Hruschka, Daniel (Thesis director) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution & Social Change (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2022-05