Abstract

A study was carried out to ascertain the barriers to effective participation of females in surface-mount technology (SMT) in Imo State. Four purposes and four research questions guided the study. The study adopted the survey research design. The population of the study consists of all the female science students and lecturers in six tertiary institutions in Imo state. The simple random sampling technique was adopted with a sample size of six hundred respondents. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit response which was analyzed using mean. Findings revealed that domestic issues and responsibilities, culture of marginalization, stereotyping of knowledge and skills are barriers to effective participation of females in SMT. It was therefore recommended that schools should be gender responsive and females should be assertive and stand for their rights in order to move forward.

Key words: Barriers, stereotype, marginalization, science, mathematics and technology.