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Women's underrepresentation in science: sociocultural and biological considerations
Stephen J Ceci1, Wendy M Williams, Susan M Barnett
1Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. sjc9@cornell.edu
Psychological Bulletin
|March 4, 2009
Summary
Women
Area of Science:
- STEM
- Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- The underrepresentation of women in math-intensive fields is a complex issue with debated causes.
- Competing theories propose biological or sociocultural factors.
- Existing evidence is often contradictory and inconclusive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a framework for analyzing causal pathways of women's underrepresentation in math-intensive fields.
- To evaluate the evidence for biological and sociocultural explanations.
- To identify key factors contributing to this disparity.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and synthesis of existing research on gender differences in STEM.
- Framework development to categorize and assess evidence for causal factors.
- Analysis of specific factors unique to math-intensive fields.
Main Results:
- Biological evidence for gender differences in math ability is contradictory.
- Sociocultural factors play a significant role, but specific evidence is inconsistent.
- Key factors include women's career preferences, performance on gatekeeper tests (e.g., SAT, GRE), and the "motherhood penalty" in promotions.
- Women's preferences, influenced by both free and constrained choices, appear to be the most powerful explanatory factor.
Conclusions:
- Women's career preferences are the primary driver of underrepresentation in math-intensive fields.
- Performance on gatekeeper tests, likely due to sociocultural influences, is a secondary factor.
- Further research is needed to disentangle the complex interplay of factors affecting women in STEM.
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