SBP: The Roots of Female Underrepresentation in STEM and Beyond: Exploring the Development of Gender Stereotypes about Intelligence

本项目审查导致妇女在科学和技术领域任职人数不足的一个关键因素的发展情况。具体来说，它考察了文化刻板印象的发展，这种刻板印象将男性（而非女性）与聪明才智和天才联系在一起。此前的研究发现，那些被认为需要“天才火花”的学科往往存在最大的性别差距。因为许多科学领域都是这样描述的，“聪明=男性”的刻板印象可能是解释这些学科中持续存在的性别差距的一个重要因素。本研究的主要目的是了解这种刻板印象是如何在发展过程中获得的。调查这种刻板印象的发展将了解这种刻板印象是如何使有能力的年轻女性放弃从事科学和技术职业的，也可能了解潜在干预措施的最佳时机，以阻止其不利影响。该项目包括三项研究，以审查三个关键的发展问题。首先，它调查了儿童对“男性比女性更有可能聪明”这一文化刻板印象的认识发展。其次，它调查了儿童参与被描述为需要高水平智力才能的活动的动机的性别差异的发展。最后，它纵向地调查了内化对女性智力的刻板印象是否会破坏年轻女孩随后参与那些据说需要才华和天赋的活动的动机。这项研究探讨了一系列最终限制女性机会的过程的发展。因此，这些研究将提高家长、教育工作者和政策制定者从问题的根源进行干预的能力，从而在传统上女性代表性不足的学术界和工业界促进更大程度的性别平等。该提案由社会、行为和经济科学理事会的发展与学习科学、社会心理学和扩大参与科学以及教育和人力资源理事会的核心研究项目和科学与工程中的性别研究项目共同资助。

This project examines the development of a key factor leading to women's underrepresentation in science and technology. Specifically, it examines the development of the cultural stereotype that links males but not females with intellectual brilliance and genius. Previous research has found that academic disciplines that are believed to require a "spark of genius" tend to have the largest gender gaps. Because many science fields are portrayed in such terms, the "brilliance = males" stereotype may be an important factor in explaining the persistent gender gap in these disciplines. The primary goal of this research is understanding how this stereotype is acquired over the course of development. Investigating the development of this stereotype will inform how the stereotype might steer capable young women away from pursuing careers in science and technology and may also inform the optimal timing of potential interventions to block its adverse effects. This project consists of three studies to examine three crucial developmental issues. First, it investigates the development of children's knowledge of the cultural stereotype that males are more likely to be brilliant than females. Second, it investigates the development of gender differences in children's motivation to engage in activities portrayed as requiring high levels of intellectual aptitude. Finally, it investigates longitudinally whether internalizing the stereotype against females' intellectual abilities undermines young girls' subsequent motivation to engage in activities that are said to require brilliance and giftedness. This research explores the development of a set of processes that ultimately limit opportunities for women. As such, these studies will improve parents', educators', and policy-makers' ability to intervene at the root of the problem to promote greater gender equity in those domains of academia and industry in which women have traditionally been underrepresented.This proposal is being co-funded by Developmental and Learning Sciences, Social Psychology, and Science of Broadening Participation within the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate and by the Education and Human Resources Directorate's Core Research program and the Research on Gender in Science and Engineering program.