My Daughter’s Experience with Math and Science by Neil Gehrels
Women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) are labeled unfeminine, a costly social label that may
discourage female students from pursuing these fields.
Challenges to this stereotype include feminine STEM role models,
but their counterstereotypic-yet-feminine success may actually
be demotivating, particularly to young girls. • Study 1 showed
that feminine STEM role models reduced middle school girls’
current math interest, self-rated ability, and success
expectations relative to gender-neutral STEM role models and
depressed future plans to study math among STEM-disidentified
girls. These results did not extend to feminine role models
displaying general (not STEM-specific) school success,
indicating that feminine cues were not driving negative
outcomes. • Study 2 suggested that feminine STEM role models’
combination of femininity and success seemed particularly
unattainable to STEM-disidentified girls. The results call for a