Women In Stem: Childhood and adolescence
Pepper
Fellow Steminists, welcome to our blog this week! As a community that values evidence-based content, we strive to provide peer-reviewed articles and reliable data to support the information we are sharing. For this blog series, we are discussing a research article written by Nilanjana Dasgupta and Jane G. Stout in 2014. The authors sought to identify the cause of underrepresentation of women in STEM career fields and discuss solutions to close the gap.
The article cites various research that points to distinct obstacles that women face throughout their lifespan. The article identifies 3 developmental periods that produce different hurdles overcome by young girls. Below is a break-down of each phase and the factors that adversely affect girls’ and women’s interest in STEM subjects..
1. Childhood and adolescence
Masculine stereotypes about STEM
Parent’s expectations of daughters
Peer norms
Lack of fit with personal goals
2. Emerging adulthood
Feeling like a “misfit” in STEM classes
Being vastly outnumbered by male peers
Lacking female role models
3. Young-to-middle adulthood
Subtle gender-bias in hiring and promotion practices
Biased evaluation of scientific work
Non-inclusive department climate
Juggling work-family responsibilities
Difficulty returning after family-related pause
This week we will be discussing the first developmental period mentioned in the article and what our followers can do to combat these obstacles in the lives and psyche of our young girls.
Childhood and Adolescence
Lin Bian, a research psychologist at the University of Illinois, conducted a study examining young children’s gendered beliefs towards intelligence. Bian’s research found that at age 5, children attribute intelligence to their own gender. Of children at age 6 or 7, only the boys still held that belief. Journalist Ed Yong summarized these findings vividly, stating, “At an age when girls tend to outperform boys at school, and when children in general show large positive biases towards their own in-groups, the girls became less likely than boys to attribute brilliance to their own gender.” This research tells us that around age 6, girls begin to internalize the bias against their own gender. How does this affect girls’ interest in STEM? Science, mathematics, and activities that involve physical manipulation (“tinkering”) and problem-solving are stereotyped as “masculine”. “Feminine” activities include tasks that involve interpersonal relationships, nurturing, and communal.
Where do these beliefs come from? Parents and educators have a significant impact on children’s beliefs about themselves and the world around them. A study by Frome & Eccles in 1998 showed that parent’s beliefs about their children’s math ability and effort better predicted children’s confidence in math than their actual performance. If parents perpetuate the gender bias in regards to STEM subjects, young girls will most likely lose interest and gravitate towards interests that align with their parents’ attitudes.
The first step to solving the issue of underrepresentation of women in STEM fields is to understand where it begins!
Next week’s blog post will focus on what we can do as allies, educators, and parents to promote and foster interest in science, math, and technology in young girls.
Send us your ideas on Instagram, Facebook, or email!
