Photo: Sara Borck

Written by: Natalie Lim

Women are underrepresented in STEM fields as professionals, academics, and students. This is a well-established fact, backed up by research - but a new study from the University of Washington has shed some much-needed light on why women may choose to enter particular fields over others. "Why Are Some STEM Fields More Gender Balanced Than Others?" was recently published by Sapna Cheryan and her team in the Psychological Bulletin, and is the first of its kind to look at the disparity between different fields of STEM, rather than looking at STEM as a single entity. So why are some STEM fields more gender balanced than others? The answer is complicated, of course, but there seem to be three interconnected, overarching factors: masculine work cultures that women find it harder to imagine themselves succeeding in, a lack of exposure to certain fields at an early age, and gender gaps in self efficacy (the difference between men's and women's belief in their own abilities). 

According to the National Science Foundation, women are currently receiving approximately 37% of STEM degrees in the United States. However, the distribution of degrees among the various STEM fields is far from balanced. More specifically, women are fairly well represented in the fields of chemistry, biology, and math, and severely underrepresented in fields of computer science, engineering, and physics. To figure out why, Cheryan's team analyzed over 1200 publications about women's underrepresentation in STEM dating back to 1990, focusing on common factors that affected interest and participation in STEM subjects. Rather than just stating that women and men have different preferences when it comes to their field of study, they drilled down into why and how those preferences develop, and what can be done to help change them. 

The most prevalent of these factors was the masculine culture associated with fields such as computer science. The study defines masculine culture as "features of a field (e.g., beliefs, norms, values, structures, interactions) that can cause women to feel a lower sense of belonging or be less successful than their male counterparts" (p. 6). For example, "hacker" culture is associated primarily with masculine stereotypes, so women may have more difficulty imagine themselves working in computer science.  This particular association is so strong that when hacking competitions are entitled "hackathons," they generally yield less female participants than if they are named "makeathons."  Many work cultures also promote norms that clash with the expected behavior of women, such as constantly working overtime or aggressively pursuing career goals, which lowers the likelihood of women entering and persisting in that field (see our info sheet on stereotype threat). The study also notes that some fields simply attract men disproportionately due to these factors, and although they may not necessarily drive women away, the end result is still a gender imbalance.

An analysis of data regarding students' high school education showed that recruitment into fields of computer science, engineering, and physics is the major issue, rather than retention of students who choose to study them in post-secondary.  In general, girls tend to lack early exposure to those three subjects, both inside and outside of formal education. Partially, this is because schools are less likely to offer courses like computer programming than they are to offer biology or chemistry (and girls are underrepresented even when they are offered), but extracurricular activities also have an important role to play. The study found that girls generally have less experience with physics-related hobbies, media, and books, spend fewer hours on the computer in their spare time, and are less likely to choose science fair projects related to computer science. This leads to a much lower likelihood of pursuing related subjects after high school, but it's important to note that the correlation between the two is closely tied to whether or not the field in question has a masculine culture attached to it. The same goes for the gender gap in self-efficacy: it doesn't become a huge factor in the equation until it's tied to a masculine work culture. 

What this study shows us is that although progress is being made in some STEM subjects, women continue to be systematically underrepresented in others - specifically engineering, computer science, and physics. And moves have been made to address this, including a push for computer science and engineering classes to be more widely offered in schools. However, the study notes that simply exposing more girls to these subjects without addressing the cultures that come with them may exacerbate the problem. If girls have experiences that confirm their pre-formed stereotypes about a field, are unable to connect with relatable role models, or feel that they don't belong, then they may be driven away from those fields altogether. That's why it's so important that we are constantly working to break down persistent stereotypes related to masculinity. Cheryan and her team put it this way: "The research is clear on what is important: Experiences that provide girls and women with learning opportunities and necessary support as they progress, that diversify current stereotypes of the field, that do not discriminate or devalue women, and that allow women to know that they can achieve success in the field are likely to make the biggest impact" (p. 21).

Working towards these changes starts at home, with parents - it's been proven that they are an instrumental part of encouraging their daughters to pursue STEM. Then, the duty falls on teachers to provide the resources that young girls need to explore STEM subjects. And after that, it's up to the rest of us. Let's create welcoming subcultures that give girls the opportunity to explore their interests without fear of being unwanted; let's give the women in our lives support and encouragement as they navigate the workplace. Things are changing, slowly but surely, for women in STEM, and working together is the only way to see them change even further.

Looking for ways to encourage a love of computer science, engineering, and physics in someone you know? Check out our events page for fun, STEM-based activities near you, and our blog posts on activities you can do at home. Our resources page is also a great place to go for more information about local outreach groups, career tips, and more! 

You can find the whole research paper here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bul0000052
Cheryan, S., Ziegler, S. A., Montoya, A. K., & Jiang, L. (2016, October 10). Why Are Some STEM Fields More Gender Balanced Than Others? Psychological Bulletin. Advance online publication.