Social Science Research

The research component of the LEADER Consortium project focuses on improving the climate for STEM Women at the partner insitutions, applying models and methods from social science at levels ranging from the individual to the department, to the college, and to the insitution.

Implicit Bias

Remedies for Implicit Bias against Women in the Academy

Most people associate men with science more than women with science (Nosek, Banaji, & Greenwald, 2002). Such cultural associations and stereotypes about women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) hinder women’s advancement in these fields (National Academy of Science, 2006). Because stereotypes can be activated and applied unconsciously, even egalitarian people can discriminate if they are not aware of the potential for cultural stereotypes to cause bias (Devine, 1989).

Best Practicies for Discussing Diversity and Implicit Bias in the Classroom

Although implicit bias is a well-studied topic, little research has
examined people’s reactions to learning about implicit bias.
Thus, it remains unclear how to successfully raise awareness
about implicit bias in the classroom. We report two studies that
examined the effects of education about implicit bias and develop recommendations based on this research.

Posters

As part of our efforts to increase women's representation and improve the workplace climate in STEM, we developed, implemented, and measured the effect of a marketing campaign. Preliminary results suggest that posters such as these can have a positive impact on perceptions of women in STEM.