Abstract
Exposure to inspirational and relatable role models is crucial towards fostering engagement of learners with scientific disciplines. However, the representation of scientists in popular culture is still far from being adequately gender- and race-inclusive. This study evaluated the gender balance and impact of scientific role models using a two-pronged experimental approach. The gender balance was investigated in search engines, online databases, and school curricula. A survey was used to investigate English secondary students’ awareness of role models and intentions to pursue further scientific studies. Our findings revealed a widespread female underrepresentation amongst scientific role models in all the analysed online sources and in high school curricula provided by the three main English exam boards. The survey (n = 356) revealed that students were considerably more likely to identify famous male than female scientists. While awareness of female role models was significantly associated with students’ gender, this was not the case for male role models. A statistically significant correlation was also observed between the number of identified role models and intentions to pursue scientific studies in Key Stage 4 girls. This study reinforces the urgency of ensuring school curricula and online resources provide a more modern and inclusive representation of scientists.
Highlights
The STEM gender gap in education and employment The existence of a marked gender bias in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education and workplaces has been acknowledged for decades
Our findings revealed a widespread female underrepresentation amongst scientific role models in all the analysed online sources and in high school curricula provided by the three main English exam boards
Among the 50 most popular movies and TV shows tagged with the keyword “Scientist” on Internet Movie Database (IMDb), a total of 126 people were depicted in the poster, 88 men and 38 women
Summary
The STEM gender gap in education and employment The existence of a marked gender bias in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education and workplaces has been acknowledged for decades. As reported in Chambers’ seminal study, “Draw-AScientist” tests conducted in American elementary schools between 1966 and 1977 revealed that less than 1% of participating pupils depicted a woman when asked to draw a scientist (Chambers, 1983). This statistic has improved since, with on average 28% of students drawing a female scientist in the 1985–2016 period, the STEM field is still largely male-dominated, and gender bias and stereotyping are still prevalent in it (Miller et al, 2018). Female representation further decreases in the progression from education to employment and onto senior academic positions, whereby
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