Professional sozialization in STEM academia and its gendered impact on creativity and innovation.

The chapter focuses on internal professionalization processes in STEM academia and their impact on creativity and innovation capacity. The discussion looks at how internal structures and value systems in STEM academia are used to shape the professional self-understanding of its members. Exemplified by a higher education institution in the field of science, engineering, technology and math, we show how gendered exclusion and inclusion is established structurally. Restrictive and rigid professional scripts and role expectations are identified as the main obstacles to greater potentials for creativity and innovation.