Improving Gender Equality in STEM Education and Careers

Gender equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) remains an issue globally for generations of initiatives to improve representation. This systematic literature review (SLR) combines 25 peer-reviewed articles from 2015 to 2025 to explore barriers, enablers, and interventions that frame gender equity in STEM education and careers. Adhering to PRISMA and Kitchenham principles, the review applied stringent inclusion criteria across Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, ERIC, and Google Scholar to make the methodology credible. The finding is that there still exist barriers in the form of gender stereotypes, absence of role models, and poor workplace cultures, and enablers like mentorship, scholarships, and inclusive pedagogy. Interventions ranged from policy reformations to institutional support and academia–industry partnerships, although these were effective to varying degrees by region and career stage. While the evidence indicates improvements, issues remain in retaining, crossing intersectionality, and global coherence. The review indicates that the problem should be tackled at the holistic level via education, workplace, and policy reformations, and that future research must be focused on longitudinal impacts on the issue in addition to the less-represented areas. Received: 29 November 2025 / Accepted: 15 April 2026 / Published: May 2026