Master Allison, Meltzoff Andrew N, Tang Daijiazi, Cheryan Sapna
Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204.
Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 May 6;122(18):e2408657122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2408657122. Epub 2025 May 1.
STEM disciplines are traditionally stereotyped as being for men and boys. However, in two preregistered studies of Grades 1 to 12 students in the United States ( = 2,765), we find a significant divergence in students' gender stereotypes about different STEM fields. Gender stereotypes about computer science and engineering more strongly favored boys than did gender stereotypes about math and science. These patterns hold across genders, intersections of gender and race/ethnicity, and two geographical regions. This divergence between different STEM fields was evident, although smaller, for children in elementary school compared to adolescents (students in middle school and high school). The divergence in stereotypes predicted students' divergence in motivation for entering these fields. Gender stereotypes on average slightly favored girls in math and were egalitarian or slightly favored girls in science, while boys remained strongly favored for computer science and engineering, with implications for educational equity and targeted interventions.
传统上，STEM学科被刻板地认为是适合男性和男孩的。然而，在美国对1至12年级学生进行的两项预注册研究（样本量n = 2765）中，我们发现学生对不同STEM领域的性别刻板印象存在显著差异。与数学和科学的性别刻板印象相比，计算机科学和工程的性别刻板印象更倾向于男孩。这些模式在不同性别、性别与种族/民族的交叉群体以及两个地理区域中都成立。与青少年（初中和高中学生）相比，小学儿童在不同STEM领域之间的这种差异虽然较小，但也很明显。刻板印象的差异预示着学生进入这些领域的动机差异。平均而言，数学方面的性别刻板印象略微倾向于女孩，科学方面的刻板印象是平等主义的或略微倾向于女孩，而计算机科学和工程领域仍然强烈倾向于男孩，这对教育公平和有针对性的干预措施具有启示意义。
