FACTSHEET
Implicit Associations Compared to the increasing proportion of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) departments and STEM disciplinary societies, career advancement of women is lagging. Much of this is due to implicit assumptions about the abilities of women in science.
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Fig. 1 (b)
Fig. 1 (a)
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Fig. 1 (a) Between two identical CVs – one associated with a woman’s name and the other associated with a man’s name, a male candidate is more likely to be hired than a female candidate. (b) There is no significant difference between male and female evaluator’s sex-based decisions. Steinpreis, et al. (1999)
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Fig. 2 Percentage of service award winners who were women 2001 – 2010 vs. percentage of scholarly award winners who were women 2001-2010 in four scientific disciplinary societies
Studies confirm that most people have “implicit associations” – or unconscious social stereotypes – often associating science with men. As a result of unconscious stereotypes, selection committees are more likely to recognize women for being nurturing and service-oriented, and men for their scholarly research.
For resource citations, more research about implicit bias, nomination and selection procedures, visit the AWIS website and view the AWARDS Webcasts at http:/www.awis.org/awards Association for Women in Science
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Phone: (703) 894-4490
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