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Today is the International Day of the Girl. It\u2019s a chance to reflect on how many battles women have won in the name of equality and fairness. It can\u2019t be understated how many more opportunities girls today have compared to generations ago.<\/p>\n
But the fight isn\u2019t over. Today, at the Union of National Employees, we\u2019d like to spark a discussion about stereotypes. Don\u2019t be shy; use the comment box below or go to our Facebook page to join the conversation.<\/p>\n
On this Day of the Girl, we ask: do stereotypes still affect girls\u2019 choices when it comes to career opportunities?<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a common stereotype about boys being better at math and science, girls being better at reading and writing. Does the theory have any basis in truth?<\/p>\n
The last report (2010) from the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program revealed the following:<\/p>\n
So the lines are muddled a bit. However, consider that, as of 2009, Statistics Canada reported that only 3% of women had an occupation in the natural sciences and engineering, versus 10.5% for men.\u00a0[2]<\/p>\n
Could stereotypes affect girls\u2019 performance and attitude towards math and science? Psychologists at the University of Massachusetts were equally curious about this question.<\/p>\n
The psychologists asked female students studying biology, chemistry, and engineering to take a very tough math test. All the students were greeted by a senior math major who wore a T-shirt displaying Einstein’s E=mc2\u00a0equation. For some volunteers, the math major was male. For others, the math major was female. This tiny tweak made a difference: Women attempted more questions on the tough math test when they were greeted by a female math major rather than a male math major. On psychological tests that measured their unconscious attitudes toward math, the female students showed a stronger self-identification with math when the math major who had greeted them was female. When they were greeted by the male math major, women had significantly higher negative attitudes toward math.<\/em> [3]<\/p>\n It\u2019s an interesting result, especially when you consider that in the academic sector, women make up 19% of full-time faculty in the natural sciences and engineering.\u00a0[4]<\/p>\n Finally, there\u2019s another battle going on when it comes to stereotypes: an internal one. Psychologists at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, discovered that when we perceive someone as holding a particular gender stereotype, it affects how competent we sound. The theory is that your brain is so busy monitoring how you come across \u2013 because you\u2019re so concerned about the perceived stereotype \u2013 that you end up sounding incompetent. [5]<\/p>\n When it comes to math and science, it\u2019s important to recognize that girls are still battling stereotypes. It\u2019s an important issue because stereotypes are the last thing that should bar girls from a career in a field they find fulfilling.<\/p>\n There\u2019s still a lot of work to be done to bust the doors of opportunity wide open.<\/p>\n [2] Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada<\/a><\/p>\n [3] Slate Magazine<\/a><\/p>\n [4] Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada<\/a><\/p>\n
[1] The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada<\/a><\/p>\n