Women's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Persistence After University Graduation: Insights From Kazakhstan.

This article investigates the persistence of women graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers in Kazakhstan within four years after university graduation, using Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) as an analytical framework. Based on interviews with twenty women STEM graduates, the study identifies four key themes influencing career persistence: STEM self-efficacy beliefs, STEM career outcome expectations, organizational factors, and socio-structural factors, including gendered cultural stereotypes prevalent in Kazakhstan's patriarchal society. Findings reveal higher persistence among women in computing and mathematics, contrasted with greater attrition in engineering, influenced by differences in confidence, workplace biases, family expectations, and labor market conditions. The study underscores that increasing women's enrollment in STEM education alone is insufficient, highlighting the need for supportive organizational policies and socio-cultural changes to sustain women's long-term participation in STEM careers.