Female Role Models Research Articles

Altering Perceptions of Scientists among Fifth Graders by the Introduction of Female Role Models: A New Opportunity for Dermatologists?

Altering Perceptions of Scientists among Fifth Graders by the Introduction of Female Role Models: A New Opportunity for Dermatologists?

Steps to improve gender diversity in coastal geoscience and engineering

Robust data are the base of effective gender diversity policy. Evidence shows that gender inequality is still pervasive in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Coastal geoscience and engineering (CGE) encompasses professionals working on coastal processes, integrating expertise across physics, geomorphology, engineering, planning and management. The article presents novel results of gender inequality and experiences of gender bias in CGE, and proposes practical steps to address it. It analyses the gender representation in 9 societies, 25 journals, and 10 conferences in CGE and establishes that women represent 30% of the international CGE community, yet there is under-representation in prestige roles such as journal editorial board members (15% women) and conference organisers (18% women). The data show that female underrepresentation is less prominent when the path to prestige roles is clearly outlined and candidates can self-nominate or volunteer instead of the traditional invitation-only pathway. By analysing the views of 314 survey respondents (34% male, 65% female, and 1% ‘‘other’’), we show that 81% perceive the lack of female role models as a key hurdle for gender equity, and a significantly larger proportion of females (47%) felt held back in their careers due to their gender in comparison with males (9%). The lack of women in prestige roles and senior positions contributes to 81% of survey respondents perceiving the lack of female role models in CGE as a key hurdle for gender equality. While it is clear that having more women as role models is important, this is not enough to effect change. Here seven practical steps towards achieving gender equity in CGE are presented: (1) Advocate for more women in prestige roles; (2) Promote high-achieving females; (3) Create awareness of gender bias; (4) Speak up; (5) Get better support for return to work; (6) Redefine success; and, (7) Encourage more women to enter the discipline at a young age. Some of these steps can be successfully implemented immediately (steps 1–4), while others need institutional engagement and represent major societal overhauls. In any case, these seven practical steps require actions that can start immediately.

Organisational barriers to and facilitators for female surgeons' career progression: a systematic review.

Objective To identify organizational barriers to and facilitators for female surgeons' career progression. Design Systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies relating to organizational barriers to and facilitators for female Surgeons' career progression. After the quality assessment of the peer-reviewed journal articles, twelve articles were selected for full review. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes in these selected articles. Setting The studies solely focused on organizational factors linked to female physicians' career progression in surgical specialties. Partcipants Female surgeons. Main outcome measures Organizational barriers and facilitators Results Twelve peer-reviewed journal articles were included in the study which focused on barriers to female surgeons' career progression, ways of facilitating female surgeons' career progression, and female surgeons' job satisfaction. Conclusion The major organisational factors contributing to the lack of career progression for female surgeons are (1) organizational culture which promotes rigid career structure that is inclined to support male surgeons than female surgeons and also male domination in which male surgeons feel superior to female surgeons (2) work family conflict whereby women feel that they have to make a family sacrifice by being women; they experience the difficulty in securing a work-life balance in the masculine career structure in surgical specialties. This implies that policy makers and healthcare organizations need to pay significant attention to organizational facilitators for female surgeons' career progression such as flexible career pathways and work patterns, a variety of different viable career progressions, more family-friendly working conditions, and the promotion of female mentors and role models in surgical specialties to support female surgeons in dealing with the organizational barriers in the male-dominated organizational culture and the lifestyle issues as well.

Women's Self-Perceived Similarity to Their Mother and Associations with Patterns of Alcohol Misuse over 20 Years.

This study examined transgenerational transmission of risk for female alcohol misuse. Women's perceived similarity to their mother/father in adulthood was examined in terms of its influence on the expected association between perceived maternal alcohol use and female offsprings' trajectories of alcohol misuse. We hypothesized that a daughter's self-perceived similarity to her mother, in instances where her mother was perceived to be a frequent- or problem-drinker, would be associated with an increase in the daughter's count of negative consequences from alcohol use and potential symptoms of alcohol dependence across adulthood. Women's perceived similarity to their mother/father was examined as a factor influencing associations between perceived parental alcohol use during childhood and patterns of alcohol misuse in adulthood. Women's self-perceived similarity to their frequent- or problem-drinking mothers increased the risk of negative consequences from drinking over time as well as potential symptoms of alcohol dependence over time. Analyses utilized data from a survey of women (N = 911) who were followed over a 20-year period, beginning in 1981. Women, ages 21 or older and living in households in the contiguous USA, were eligible, and women who consumed four or more alcoholic drinks per week were oversampled. Model estimates were weighted to adjust for the oversampling of heavier drinking women and to reflect national demographics. Latent growth mixture models estimated regression parameters that captured variation in participants' alcohol misuse over time. Women who reported that their mother was a frequent- or problem-drinker and who perceived themselves to be similar to their mother, in general, showed increases in alcohol misuse. The same pattern of results was not shown for fathers. Results support that interventions seeking to reduce female alcohol misuse should address the role of perceived similarity to heavy-drinking female role models or 'female-drinker' prototypes to reduce problem-drinking behavior among female drinkers.

Addressing Unintended Consequences of Gender Diversity Interventions on Women’s Sense of Belonging in STEM

Validated interventions that increase bias literacy (i.e., knowledge of gender bias) and decrease sexism are critical to addressing pervasive gender biases in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, interventions that highlight existing gender inequities may inadvertently act as a social identity threat cue for women. Including identity-safe cues in diversity interventions (i.e., suggesting that women are valued in STEM) may lessen these problematic outcomes. To explore this possibility, we conducted three experiments utilizing Video Interventions for Diversity in STEM (VIDS), a validated diversity intervention relying on high quality videos to convey the existence of gender bias in STEM. Consistent with prior research, relative to control conditions, VIDS led to greater bias literacy and lower gender bias among both men and women (Experiments 1 and 2) and encouraged women’s intentions to take collective action (Experiment 2). At the same time, compared to control conditions, VIDS resulted in lower sense of belonging in the sciences, greater negative affect, and greater self-reported social identity threat, both among women from the general U.S. population (Experiments 1 and 2) and female scientists (Experiment 3). Including identity-safe cues, which present a positive female scientist role model (Experiment 2) or suggest that gender bias can be overcome (Experiments 2 and 3), helped alleviate VIDS’ harmful effects on women’s belonging and trust in the sciences, but had limited impact on stereotype threat. These findings highlight the need for researchers and practitioners to examine potential unintended negative consequences of diversity interventions and investigate techniques to buffer such outcomes.

Yes, I can! – A Field Experiment on Female Role Model Effects in Entrepreneurship

This study draws on social learning theory and research concerning role model effects to understand how exposure to female entrepreneurial role models influences the development of entrepreneurial ...

‘Female Heroes’: Celebrity Executives as Postfeminist Role Models

AbstractThis paper explores the significance of contemporary celebrity businesswomen as role models for women aspiring to leadership in business. We explore the kind of gendered ideals they model and promote to women through their autobiographical narratives, and analyse how these ideals map against a contemporary postfeminist sensibility to further understand the potential of these role models to redress the under‐representation of women in management and leadership. Our findings show that celebrity businesswomen present a role model that we call the ‘female hero’, a figure characterized by 3Cs: confidence to jump over gendered barriers; control in managing these barriers; and courage to push through them. We argue that the ‘female hero’ role model is deeply embedded in the contemporary postfeminist sensibility; it offers exclusively individualized solutions to inequality by calling on women to change themselves to succeed, and therefore has limited capacity to challenge the current gendered status quo in management and leadership. The paper contributes to current literature on role models by generating a more differentiated and socially situated understanding of distant female role models in business and extending our understanding of their potential to generate sustainable and long‐term change in advancing gendered change in management and leadership.

The role of higher education in strengthening women’s participation in the workforce: The lived experiences of females in Japan

ABSTRACTA staggeringly low ranking (114 out of 144) on the 2017 Global Gender Gap economic participation and opportunity scale compels Japanese higher education leaders to enact effective policies and practices that support women’s professional trajectories. The current study examined the lived experiences of 16 women in Japanese higher education who hoped to enter Japan’s economic sector upon graduation. Employing a feminist case study methodology, an analysis of in-depth interviews revealed the following themes: (1) in college and career planning, women redefined themselves in ways that ran counter to traditional expectations; (2) female role models demystified work-life balance and imparted strategies for a gendered workforce; and (3) despite prior leadership experiences, institutional barriers and low leadership efficacy prevented women from serving as leaders in higher education. The study includes recommendations for Japan’s postsecondary system, limitations to qualitative research methods, and posits that Japan can significantly strengthen its economy by developing the leadership efficacy of women in higher education. As a global community, we cannot expect women to leap confidently into leadership roles in the public and private sector without providing effective leadership development in higher education.

Doris Taylor: All Heart.

There’s an undeniable warmth to Doris Taylor, Director of Regenerative Medicine Research and of the Center for Cell and Organ Biotechnology at the Texas Heart Institute and Texas A&M University in Houston. Professionally, she may be most famous for engineering the first bioartificial mammalian heart.1 But, on a personal level, her own heart is compassionate, generous, and not remotely artificial. Taylor went through great turmoil in early childhood, but rather than mentally closing herself off to pain and difficulty, she’s endeavored throughout life to ease the pain and suffering of others. In a recent interview with Circulation Research , she explained that she does this in two ways. At a community-level, she’s an ardent advocate for social justice, spending her spare time promoting local political organizations and spearheading worthy causes, while at the global-level, her scientific research adds to the body of medical knowledge that enables innovations, improves treatments, and saves lives. Doris Taylor Her research has certainly, and consistently, broken new ground. Her pioneering stem cell research, regenerative medicine strategies, and investigations of sex-specific physiological differences have driven new lines of enquiry in cardiovascular disease research and have also challenged established attitudes toward how such diseases might be treated.2–6 I was born in San Francisco and I had a twin brother. We were born very prematurely and, in those days, premature twins didn’t live, so neither of us were supposed to survive. My mother told us that the doctor came in and told her, if she was religious and believed in doing something for the end of life, she should do it for us. So, she called the hospital chaplain and he came, but then, according to my mother, the minute he left the room, my brother and I rallied. It was as if we’d …

Mary in Jewish Tradition

Since Jews rejected the miraculous account of Jesus' birth, they assumed that Mary conceived through illicit sexual activity, sometimes expressed in vulgar terms. Some Jews refuted the possibility of virgin birth by use of philosophical arguments, and others offered scriptural arguments against Mary's perpetual virginity. Despite generally negative views of Mary, there is evidence of an attraction to the idea of a semi-divine female role model and it is possible that certain Kabbalistic interpretations of the divine presence have Marian overtones.

Empowering Mimicry: Female Leader Role Models Empower Women in Leadership Tasks Through Body Posture Mimicry

In two studies we investigated the behavioral process through which visible female leader role models empower women in leadership tasks. We proposed that women tend to mimic the powerful (open) body postures of successful female role models, thus leading to more empowered behavior and better performance on a challenging leadership task, a process we called empowering mimicry. In Study 1, we experimentally manipulated the body posture of the male and female role models and showed that 86 Swiss college women mimicked the body posture of the female (ingroup) but not the male (outgroup) role model, thus leading to more empowered behavior and better performance on a public speaking task. In Study 2, we investigated the boundary conditions of this process and showed that empowering mimicry does not extend to exposures to non-famous female models among 50 Swiss college women. These findings suggest that nonverbal mimicry is one important mechanism through which female leader role models inspire women performing a challenging leadership task. From a practice perspective, our research underscores the importance of female leaders’ visibility because visibility can drive other women’s advancement in leadership by affording women the opportunity to mimic and be empowered by successful female role models.

STEM Parents and Women in Finance

“STEM parents” refers to parents who work in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics field. Using survey data from CFA Institute members, we show that parental careers differentially affect the future career choices of girls and boys. Among CFA Institute members, women are more likely to have a STEM parent (particularly a STEM mother) than men. Relative to the base rates at which girls and boys become CFA Institute members, STEM mothers increase the girls’ rate by 48% more than the boys’ rate; STEM fathers increase the girls’ rate 29% more than the boys’ rate. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that early role models, particularly female role models, influence women’s choice of a finance career.

The Draw-a-Scientist Test in an African context: comparing students’ (stereotypical) images of scientists across university faculties

Background: People’s perceptions of scientists have repeatedly been investigated using the Draw-a-Scientist Test (DAST). The test is used to identify people’s (stereotypical) images of scientists, which might affect attitudes towards science and science-related career choices.Purpose: The current study has two goals. (1) Applying the DAST at a university in South Africa, the study will add to the existing research literature through its Southern African context. (2) The study will also look more closely at the link between (stereotypical) images of scientists and science-related career choices.Sample: The DAST was applied to first-year students (n = 445) across different faculties at a South African university. If the assumption that young people’s perceptions of scientists influence their career choice is correct, one would expect differences in the drawings made by students who have opted for different fields of study.Design and methods: The DAST was administered during orientation week of the first-year students in January 2017. Students were provided with a prepared blank sheet of paper and asked to draw a scientist and to fill in further information on the back of the paper. A content analysis applying the DAST checklist was used to analyse the images.Results: The findings show that South African students use about four stereotypical indicators when drawing a scientist, and social science students drew stereotypical attributes more frequently when compared to students from other faculties. A typical scientist – as depicted in this study – is a man of uncertain age, who wears eyeglasses and a lab coat, and is surrounded by laboratory equipment.Conclusions: Findings are largely in line with the international research literature. To challenge gender stereotypes, more contact between students and female role models might be essential. If (stereotypical) images really affect science-related career choices deserves further attention in future research studies.

Gender‐Related Attitudes and Beliefs Predict White Women's Views of Candidates in the 2016 United States Presidential Election

AbstractWhite women's general failure to vote for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 United States presidential election (only 43% of White women did so) was largely unexpected. We tested the hypothesis that White women's gender‐related attitudes and beliefs, including their (i) feminist identification, (ii) views of societal gender discrimination, (iii) personal experiences with gender discrimination, and (iv) beliefs about female role models, were related to their levels of support for Hillary Clinton and her opponents (Sanders, Trump). A sample of White women (N = 314; 18–75 years, M = 32.71, SD = 13.37) recruited during June and July of 2016 from MTurk and college campuses completed surveys of their gender‐related attitudes and beliefs, as well as political preferences. Results indicated that women's gender‐related attitudes and beliefs predicted their views of both Clinton and Trump, after accounting for political ideology. For example, feminist identification was positively related to support for Clinton. Additionally, stronger endorsement of the notion that societal gender discrimination persists in the United States predicted both more favorable ratings of Clinton and less favorable ratings of Trump. More frequent personal experiences with discrimination, in contrast, predicted weaker support for Clinton.

STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING PARTICIPATION OF FEMALE TEACHERS IN MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Worldwide, women representation in management and leadership positions is marginal. Despite immense academic advancement by women, few of them do advance to management positions. In Kenya, women make up a critical portion of human resource base. However, they are grossly underrepresented at leadership positions. This situation is reflected in school leadership positions as well, including headship of schools. Unless the gender gaps in management and leadership positions are addressed, the talent of high skilled women would be underutilized and there might be a reproduction of gender inequality across generations. The purpose of this study was therefore to explore the strategies that could improve the participation of female teachers in management of public primary schools. The objective of the study was to suggest possible strategies that can be used to enhance the deployment of female teachers to headship positions in primary schools in Kenya. This study was conducted in Nambale Sub-county. Descriptive survey design was used in this study. Out of a study population of 519, respondents comprising 45 head teachers, 45 deputy head teachers, 427 teachers drawn from 45 public primary schools in Nambale Sub-County, the Sub-County Director of Education (SCDE) and the Sub-County Quality Assurance and Standard Officer (SCQASO) (Nambale Sub-County), stratified sampling technique was employed to select 35 head teachers, 35 deputy head teachers and 196 teachers. Saturated sampling was used to select the SCDE and the SCQASO. Therefore, a sample size of 268 respondents, representing 52 % of the study population, was used in this study. Structured questionnaires, interview schedule and document analysis guide were used as instruments of data collection. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequency counts and percentages while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Findings from the study revealed that although there is equal opportunity policy where teachers to be deployment to school headship positions are identified through interviews, selection criteria was not clear. The affirmative action policies did not discriminate on basis of gender but it is essentially gender neutral in practice. Based on these findings, the study proposed that the Teachers Service Commission should come up with clear and precise deployment policies expressed in writing so that their compliance can easily be checked, Ministry of Education should design a formalized mentoring system to help female teachers develop self-esteem and aggressive managerial personalities of present and future leaders and create suitable female role models in leadership to serve as exhibit of successful and effective female leadership. Article visualizations:

Female Chess Players Outperform Expectations When Playing Men

Stereotype threat has been offered as a potential explanation of differential performance between men and women in some cognitive domains. Questions remain about the reliability and generality of the phenomenon. Previous studies have found that stereotype threat is activated in female chess players when they are matched against male players. I used data from over 5.5 million games of international tournament chess and found no evidence of a stereotype-threat effect. In fact, female players outperform expectations when playing men. Further analysis showed no influence of degree of challenge, player age, nor prevalence of female role models in national chess leagues on differences in performance when women play men versus when they play women. Though this analysis contradicts one specific mechanism of influence of gender stereotypes, the persistent differences between male and female players suggest that systematic factors do exist and remain to be uncovered.

An Exploration of Experiences and Academic Challenges of African Female Student at University of Zululand, South Africa (UNIZULU)

Most African female students are weak in accounting. They feel that accounting is a male-dominated subject. Studies have shown that females consider accounting to be the masculine career. This study is an attempt to understand the academic challenges and experiences of African females at UNIZULU. With the aid of structured questionnaires, varied experiences and challenges of African female students at UNIZULU were captured and studied. Among the variety of experiences, few important ones are highlighted: academic support of lecturers, teaching and leadership style of lecturers, academic preparation of students, understanding of language and curriculum problems. In terms of challenges, students face problems related to language barriers, mathematical knowledge, time management, discipline and conduct, lack of female role model among others. The study suggested that UNIZULU should follow the gender-sensitive leadership and mentorship programs to improve female academic performance in the accounting modules.

Female role models in medicine: a medical student's perspective.

The importance of role models in medicaleducation cannot be understated. Theyallow for professional development, aid in careermotivation and inspire and educate throughexample. Unfortunately, I cannot admit knowingmore than three female role models throughoutmy time at medical school, and now as a finalyear student, I am more disappointed than everfor this deficit.My admiration and respect for doctorsremains sky high, but from the age of 15, Iremember being put off and discouraged froma career in medicine. My first work experienceplacement was met with disgruntled medicalstudents and doctors warning me to ‘steer clear’of this career choice. Notably, female doctorswould state their reservations about whether theycould adequately bring up a stable family togetherwith the demands of this profession. This wasan extremely frustrating resolution for me to seeas a young, inspired medic- who passionatelyfelt I would work hard to do both. I sought tofind out more about the challenges for womenin medicine.There lies no dispute that having a stablefamily life and successful career is no easy featfor women. Yet, the mere choice between a familyand/or career is far more intricate than it mayseem; it is really a question exploring personallife priorities, resolute character traits and, mostimportantly, equal gender opportunities and thenecessity for greater support for women withfamilies (1).Gender equity and empowerment areinextricably linked to a woman’s entitlementand contribution to the workplace. Evidently, theendless unpaid hours of bringing up a family needgreater recognition- arguably a full time job initself; some people still don’t deem the demandingwork of a mother as a career- illustrated byCatherine Deveny’s Guardian article (2).Women are often invited to defend their lifechoices, or fulfil gender expectations. Maybe,as women we need to alter our own insight intowhat it means to be a successful career womanand mother. What defines doing ‘well’ whendescribing family life, a subjective word for sucha prevalent aspiration.The deplorable deluge of negative headlinesafter the report from the Royal College ofPhysicians (2009) stating women will predominatethe workforce in 2017 inflamed public perceptionwith assertions including, “Women docs weakenmedicine” (3). This was a shocking flavour ofnegativism for women in medicine- and addedto both my curiosity and anger at the situation.The apparent vulnerability of women isparticularly evident amongst certain geographicalpopulations; for example, in Iran, there arepalpable traditional differences between genders,rendering unequal social rights, salaries andemployment opportunities (4), with furthersignificance on health status. Article 158,of the Third Development plan, instigated aresolute initiative for increasing awarenessand incorporation of women in society, whichincluded the promotion of job opportunitiesfor women (5). Furthermore, accessibility ofadvanced surgical training is highly limited,with Dr Sakineh Pari, born in 1902, being thefirst Iranian female surgeon (6). Despite theevolution of greater gender equality in Iranianmedical employment, it is clear that we needfurther progress towards true equality.I want to pose a note of reflection: why dothese negative perceptions still exist even in2017? We need to act now to ensure the womenof the future have confidence that they can bothcultivate a great family and career; it is possible,with the appropriate communication, support andflexibility that are essential to both motherhoodand top career posts, especially within countrieswhere gender inequalities are rife.

Disrupting the Masculine Canon in Fine Art Education: Equal Futures through More Female Role Models

In order to disrupt the masculine canon in fine art education, teaching staff could be encouraged to introduce greater parity in the provision of artist role models for the subject area’s majority-female student cohort. This article argues that the segregation of a masculine and feminine art history is problematic for both educators and learners, and that many female graduates are dropping out of practice due to few female role models and subsequent lack of confidence in career progression.

Women in conservation science making a difference

Conservation science has a long history of providing the evidence-base that underpins management of diverse and unique biota and landscapes. This special issue brings together the stories of a range of women in conservation science to showcase the great work being done to develop and improve our knowledge and understanding of Australian plants, animals and ecosystems, across a range of disciplines and sectors. We focus on Australia in recognition of recent commitments by Australian institutions to achieve gender parity in Australian science, while acknowledging the achievements of women in conservation science globally. In this overview we highlight several exemplary women who have paved the way for those of us who have come after them, and present a brief snapshot of the careers of these women to acknowledge their contributions to the development of conservation science, and its associated disciplines. We also distil some common themes that have been identified by the women in the articles featured in this special issue, particularly passion and enthusiasm for the natural environment; multiple pathways that women have taken; satisfaction derived from working collaboratively across disciplines and with a variety of scientists, policy, managers and practitioners; and seeking to embrace diversity. A striking point from many of the stories, that we hope is changing now, is that many of the women had few female role models, yet the stories highlight their resilience and determination and their desire to inspire other young women to take up the challenge of a career in conservation science.