The other authors on the paper were Joseph, an expert on harnessing the power of computing for social good, and Daniel Larremore of the University of Colorado Boulder. “Our findings highlight the persistent role of prejudice against women in perpetuating gender imbalances in academia - especially in fields that prize brilliance - underscoring the need for continued efforts to promote inclusivity and diversity in all fields,” adds co-author Andrei Cimpian, professor of psychology at New York University. “Using a massive database of academic CVs, we were able to uncover the career dynamics by which beliefs about brilliance give rise to gender segregation in academia,” says Aniko Hannak, assistant professor at the University of Zürich and an author of the paper, which appeared June 22 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. That’s the central finding of a new analysis of 30 disciplines by an international team of researchers that includes Kenneth Joseph, assistant professor of computer science, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. This study was supported, in part, by a grant from the National Science Foundation (BCS-1530669).Fewer women enter and more women leave academic fields valuing brilliance, which is partly due to prevalent gender stereotypes. However, the researchers also caution that more work is needed to investigate how broadly these results apply. “In earlier work, we found that adult women were less likely to receive higher degrees in fields thought to require ‘brilliance,’ and these new findings show that these stereotypes begin to impact girls’ choices at a heartbreakingly young age,” said Leslie. However, by 6 girls’ interest in the activities for smart children was again lower than that for boys. The results showed no significant differences in interest between 5-year-old boys and girls, consistent with the absence of brilliance stereotypes at this age. Girls were significantly less interested than boys in the game for smart children however, there was no difference between the boys’ and girls’ interest in the game for hard-working children-a finding that illuminates the targeted nature of gender stereotyping.Ī final experiment compared 5- and 6-year-old boys’ and girls’ interest in games for smart children. Children were then asked four questions to measure their interest in these games (e.g., “Do you like this game, or do you not like it?”). A different group of boys and girls aged 6 and 7 were introduced to two games-one described as for “children who are really, really smart” and the other for “children who try really, really hard.” The content and rules of two games were otherwise very similar. These age differences were largely similar across children of various socioeconomic and racial-ethnic backgrounds.Ī subsequent study asked whether these perceptions shape children’s interests. They were also asked to guess which adult in a series of paired different-gender adults was “really, really smart.” While the results showed both boys and girls aged 5 viewed their own gender positively, girls aged 6 and 7 were significantly less likely than boys to associate brilliance with their gender. In one experiment, the children heard a story about a person who was “really, really smart” and were then asked to guess which of four unfamiliar adults (2 men, 2 women) was the story’s protagonist. With this question in mind, the researchers tested children ranging from 5 to 7 years in a series of studies. “We wanted to know whether young children also endorse these stereotypes.” “Our society tends to associate brilliance with men more than with women, and this notion pushes women away from jobs that are perceived to require brilliance,” said Bian. “Even though the stereotype equating brilliance with men doesn’t match reality, it might nonetheless take a toll on girls’ aspirations and on their eventual careers,” observed Cimpian, the paper’s senior author. Sarah-Jane Leslie, professor of philosophy at Princeton University, also contributed to the research. The research, led by Lin Bian, a doctoral student at the University of Illinois, and NYU psychology professor Andrei Cimpian, demonstrates how early gender stereotypes take hold and points to the potential of their life-long impact. The findings appear in the journal Science. By the age of 6, girls become less likely than boys to associate brilliance with their own gender and are more likely to avoid activities said to require brilliance, shows a new study conducted by researchers at New York University, the University of Illinois, and Princeton University.
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