Researchers at University of Houston College of Education (UH) and the University of Washington surveyed nearly 2,500 students from first through 12th grade, from both diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. The results of those studies were combined with laboratory experiments to provide important insights into how stereotypes impact children’s motivation.
More children believed girls had less interest than boys in key STEM fields. Specifically, 63 per cent of the students believed girls were less interested in engineering than boys were, while 9 per cent believed girls were more interested in the subject. Regarding computer science, 51 per cent thought girls had less interest, while 14 per cent thought girls had more interest than boys.
These interest patterns play out in the job market. According to United States Census Bureau statistics, while women make up nearly half of the workforce, they account for only 25 per cent of computer scientists...