Understanding Missing Diversity in Makerspaces through the Lens of Need Satisfaction and Social Identification

Makerspaces offer individuals the opportunity to bring ideas to life, access specialised tools and machinery, and join a community, thus potentially enhancing psychological needs for competence and relatedness. However, these benefits may not be equally accessible across all genders, as makerspaces are often dominated by young, educated men. To explore this, we conducted an online survey with 102 makerspace users and 259 non-users. The survey included questions on psychological concepts and open-ended questions aimed at identifying factors that prevent or encourage makers from using makerspaces. Our findings reveal that while the openness in makerspaces enhances need fulfillment for females, it has the opposite effect on males, a phenomenon we discuss in the context of social identification. Additionally, we found that the atmosphere of a makerspace influences its usage across all genders. We conclude with recommendations for designing makerspaces for all genders, emphasising the importance of aligning the space’s offering with its users’ needs, fostering an open atmosphere, and promoting an inclusive makerspace landscape.