What impacts perceptions of women (but not men) scientists?

Men and women perceive women scientists differently compared to their male counterparts.

Many people have grown up with a particular image of what a typical scientist looks like, despite the diversity of scientists that exist. Researchers have investigated how appearance and gender affect our perceptions of who fits the standard image of a scientist.

In the first study, researchers gathered 80 photographs of men and women who were scientists, and asked participants to rate masculinity, femininity, and likelihood of being a teacher or a scientist. As expected from previous research, more feminine faces were judged as more likely to be teachers than scientists. In the second study, researchers used almost the same methodology, and showed that again, for women scientists (but not men), participants used gendered appearance to determine whether they appeared to be suitable for a science profession (vs. teaching or journalism). Importantly, this research used photographs of real-life scientists, suggesting that in real-world circumstances people may see women as less likely or capable to be scientists because their femininity disqualifies them from ‘looking the part’.

We are naturally attracted to careers where we can fit in. Women may thus not choose STEM careers if they cannot express their femininity. The study authors recommend that the diversity of scientists should be celebrated to address the bias identified in this study. This will help to reduce the pressure on women scientists to suppress their natural femininity or distance themselves from other feminine women and be ‘one of the guys’.

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Study Details

Sample size(s): Study 1 = 51, Study 2 = 214

Participants: Study 1: US amazon workers between the ages of 18–63. Gender proportion: 25 men, 26 women. Ethnicities: 78 % White, 12 % Asian, 4 % biracial, 4 % Latino, and 2 % Black) . Study 2 US amazon workers between the ages of 18–68 Gender proportion:129 women, 85 men Ethnicities: 80%White,6%Black,4%Latino,5%Asian,4% Biracial, and 1 % Native American)

Design: Quantitative, experimental

Reference:

Banchefsky, S., Westfall, J., Park, B., & Judd, C. M. (2016). But you don’t look like a scientist!: Women scientists with feminine appearance are deemed less likely to be scientists. Sex Roles, 75(3–4), 95-109.

Summarized by WinSights team members: Emily Ana Butler, Bianca Dreyer & Catherine Palm