Vol.:(0123456789) Social Psychology of Education https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-020-09558-y 1 3 Factors that contribute to the underrepresentation of women in science careers worldwide: a literature review Beatrice Avolio 1,2,3  · Jessica Chávez 1,2,3  · Carlos Vílchez‑Román 1,2,3 Received: 2 October 2019 / Accepted: 17 April 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020 Abstract The paper analyses the literature related to the underrepresentation of women in the scientifc feld to identify the factors that afect this underrepresentation worldwide. This literature review covers 470 papers—published in journals with the highest impact factor from 1985 to 2018—that address the factors that infuence the access, participation, and progress of women in scientifc careers. This literature review was based on the complete readings of the papers using thematic analysis. The factors that infuence women’s access, participation and progress in careers related to sci- ence and technology are a complex problem with multiple interdependent factors. In addition, these vary according to the stages of women’s lives and cultural contexts. This paper proposes, based on the literature review, a comprehensive framework to explain the factors that infuence the access, participation, and progress of women in science careers. The factors are grouped as follows: (a) individual, (b) family, (c) social, (d) educational, and (e) labor-economic. The proposed research is useful for researchers and policy makers because it introduces this phenomenon schematically and orderly identifes the gaps in past research studies, and evidences the need to conduct further research on this topic. Keywords Women in science · Gender · STEM · Literature review * Beatrice Avolio bavolio@pucp.pe Jessica Chávez jessica.chavez@pucp.pe; cvilchez@pucp.edu.pe 1 CENTRUM Católica Graduate Business School, Lima, Peru 2 Pontifcia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru 3 Calle Alomía Robles 125, Los Alamos, Lima 33, Peru