Is it universal? Gender-science stereotypes exist in 66 countries

Around the world, strong stereotypes exist that associate science with men more than women, and these stereotypes are correlated with the level of participation of women in science; more needs to be done to highlight the vital role women play in the sciences.

Gender-science stereotypes are associations that connect science with men more than with women. There is a lot of evidence for the existence of these stereotypes in North America. But is there evidence that these stereotypes are more universal and what factors are elated to such stereotypes? In 2015, Miller and colleagues recruited 350 000 participants from 66 participating countries to answer this question. The study investigated both explicit stereotypes, which are assumptions that are conscious and often spoken about openly, and implicit stereotypes, which are unconscious biases learned through past associations about women in science, and women in research. The study found strong gender-science stereotypes in all 66 participating countries with some variation due to differences in the role of women in society, cultural values, and other national attributes.

Overall, higher enrolment of women in science-based higher-education programs was related to weaker explicit and implicit stereotypes. Higher employment of women in research related to weaker explicit, but not implicit stereotypes. Gender-science stereotypes are strong even in countries with high overall gender equity, if science is dominated by men in those countries. The authors conclude that representation is a more robust factor than science achievement in predicting gender-science stereotypes, and that short-term interventions are not sufficient for reducing these stereotypes. Building awareness of diverse women scientists who disprove stereotypes can reduce implicitly held beliefs. Focus should be on integrating many examples of women scientists into classroom discussions.

Study Details

Sample size(s): n = 350000

Participants: The general public

Design: Quantitative, survey

Reference:

Miller, D. I., Eagly, A. H., & Linn, M. C. (2015). Women’s representation in science predicts national gender-science stereotypes: Evidence from 66 nations. Journal of Educational Psychology, 107(3), 631.

Summarized by: Emily Ana Butler & Bianca Dreyer