The International Journal of Digital Research (IJDR) is pleased to announce the publication of a new conceptual research article, “De-Genderizing STEM Disciplines,” by V. Lakshmi Narasimhan and G. V. Bhargavi.
The authors are affiliated with Elizabeth City State University, USA, and Chaoyang University of Technology (CYUT), Taiwan, bringing another international contribution to Volume 2, Issue 3 of IJDR.
The study addresses an important question in contemporary STEM education and research: Are STEM disciplines inherently gendered, or do their organizational and disciplinary processes combine characteristics traditionally perceived as masculine, feminine, or neutral?
Rather than focusing exclusively on gender representation, the authors propose a conceptual framework for examining genderization within STEM disciplines themselves. The framework considers characteristics such as organizational structure, communication mechanisms, training, adherence to rules and procedures, time consciousness, goal orientation, and mission success.
The framework is applied to Physics and Software Engineering, demonstrating how different stages of disciplinary practice may combine collaborative, flexible, structured, and rule-based characteristics. The study challenges the conventional perception of STEM as inherently masculine and argues for understanding genderization as a socially constructed and context-dependent phenomenon.
The findings contribute to ongoing discussions surrounding gender equality, diversity and inclusion in STEM education and professions, while opening opportunities for future empirical validation across additional disciplines, educational environments, and cultural contexts.
Article: De-Genderizing STEM Disciplines
Authors: V. Lakshmi Narasimhan & G. V. Bhargavi
International Journal of Digital Research, Volume 2, Issue 3, 2026, pp. 20–33
Article page:
https://ijdr.net/volume-2-year-2026/volume-2-issue-3/de-genderizing-stem-disciplines/
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63711/ijdr.net20260302
Zenodo:
https://zenodo.org/records/21980335
