Does Gender Distribution Impact College Students' Perceptions of STEM and Non-STEM Fields?

• In Event: Persistence and Perceptions: Challenges Faced by Women and Girls in STEM

Abstract

The present study examined if the knowledge of the distribution of males and females across different fields is the cause of differing perceptions of that field. Undergraduate students (n = 779) were randomly assigned into four conditions. All students were told anthropology and sociology were female-dominated and math and engineering were male-dominated (truth). One condition was informed psychology had an even gender distribution, while another condition was informed physics had an even gender distribution (deception). Students then rated the amount of innate intellectual ability, the scientific rigor, and innovation present in each field. Despite altering the distribution of gender across physics and psychology for different conditions, groups did not differ in their ratings of innate ability, rigor, or innovation.

Author

• Jessica Lauren Degol, Penn State Altoona