Gender differences in academic decisions of high school students who choose scientific-technological subjets: a qualitative study

The current paper analyses parents', teachers' and students' opinions about the academic decisions. A qualitative methodology based on focus groups has been used. There have been developed five focus groups with students who are studying Scientific/Technological Senior Secondary Education in Asturias (Spain), six focus groups with teachers and two with parents. Results show that there still exist gender bias in the elections. Moreover, the most important reason to explain students' options is what we have called "the ideology of innate liking" that is, preferring the studies because they like them or because they feel a vocation towards them. The paper ends with some recommendations to develop a vocational counselling free form gender stereotypes.