A new study led by scholars at the University of Maryland and the University of Alberta in Canada has found that children as young as seven years old begin to internalize gender stereotypes in STEM occupations.
The research team surveyed a large group of children between the ages of 7 and 12 regarding the likelihood that their peers would grow up to work as a doctor or a scientist. Overall, girl participants were more likely than boys to expect a girl would grow up to be both a scientist and a doctor. A higher proportion of all participants selected a girl as most likely to grow up to be a doctor than the share of participants who believed a girl would someday become a scientist, reflecting a gender-based bias about one area of STEM but not another area.
“The results from this study illustrate the need for school-based curricula programs to reduce STEM stereotypes and enable all students to experience a sense of belonging and identity within STEM, as well as to engage children in STEM-related activities beginning in early childhood,” the authors conclude. “Societies benefit and flourish when obstacles are removed which inhibit individuals from contributing their skills and talents to the many varied fields within this arena.”