Although the participation of women in higher education has increased, they are still underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) areas. Peru as other Latin-American countries, has an additional issue to cope with this reality, which is the lack of research in gender gap, recruitment, retention and promotion for women in science and technology. In 2017, a study carried out by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Tecnológica (CONCYTEC), it was found that one out of four researchers in engineering and technology were women. Moreover, official national statistics for women in higher education accounted for 15% of the total number of students enrolled in engineering careers. To address the issue of gender equality in education, several national studies have been carried out with the aim to generate relevant information and knowledge for the...

Previous research has found that first-years in college is challenging due to changes in academic demands and the adaptation process. In addition to this, research on career development has found that barriers and supports may influence career interest, motivation to continue and student retention. This study explores the influence of specific supports and barriers among first-year engineering college students. To reach this goal, a case study was conducted with 425 engineering students at three universities in Lima, Peru. Based on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), we performed a Structural Equation Model (SEM) to assess effects of contextual factors such as barriers and supports on self-efficacy, coping self-efficacy, and goals. Results showed that certain supports and barriers influence self-efficacy, cope self-efficacy and goals. Effects of these factors in first-year students an...