Outperforming yet undervalued: Undergraduate women in STEM

Area of Science:

• STEM Education
• Gender Studies in Science

Background:

• Despite diversity initiatives, women in science fields still face stereotypes questioning their ability and talent.
• Undergraduate peer influence significantly impacts women's choices in science majors and careers.
• Gender biases in peer interactions within science coursework can hinder women's interest and academic progress, even in fields where they are the majority.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the perception of ability among undergraduate students in science courses.
• To examine the relationship between academic performance and peer perception of ability for undergraduate women in science.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of academic performance between male and female students in undergraduate physical and life science courses at a single institution.
• Documentation of peer perceptions regarding student ability in relation to gender.

Main Results:

• Women are achieving higher academic performance than men in both physical and life science undergraduate courses.
• Despite outperforming men, women continue to be perceived by peers as less-able students.
• This study is the first to document this specific discrepancy between performance and perception at the undergraduate level.

Conclusions:

• Undergraduate women in science face persistent gender-ability stereotypes, even when their academic achievements surpass those of their male peers.
• These stereotypes can negatively affect the recognition of women's accomplishments within the academic environment.
• The discrepancy between performance and perception poses a significant barrier to retaining women in STEM disciplines and future science careers.