Awareness of Women's Inclusion in STEM: Twitter Data in Italy.

This paper focuses on assessing public awareness of women in STEM disciplines. The underrepresentation of women in STEM has garnered recent attention, and this study is grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory, which examines how individual, contextual, and experiential factors impact interests and goals in STEM. Individual factors, such as selfefficacy beliefs and outcome expectations, play a crucial role in shaping career choices. Contextual factors influence women's leadership roles, particularly in male-dominated environments, and may differ in female-majority settings. Additionally, social modelling, where individuals learn from observing others, contributes to self-efficacy. Our study focuses on contextual factors that influence awareness of women in STEM. We employ a panel-type econometric model spanning 2014-2022 and analyse 29,985 tweets to explore the influence of socioeconomic factors on public opinions in various Italian regions. Italy's significant regional disparities make it an ideal setting for this research, considering factors like human capital, industry, and government. The managerial implications underscore the importance of understanding public opinion to inform decisions that promote women's inclusion in STEM fields for policymakers and corporate management. This study's unique use of geolocated data on Twitter adds a novel dimension to the intersection of STEM and women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]