Feminine Math and Science Role Models Do Not Motivate Girls

Feminizing women who are good at math and science may actually demotivate girls to pursue those fields, according to a new study. Reporting this month in Social Psychological and Personality Science, Diana Betz and Denise Sekaquaptew of the University of Michigan say that everyday women will be more likely to get young women interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

In two studies that looked at how middle school girls perceived female STEM role models, researchers found that the more feminine the STEM role model, the less interested the girls were in math and science. The results suggest the girls perceived the combination of femininity and STEM success as unattainable, leading to a lack of motivation, the researchers say.