Girls do not like science… and other stereotypes about gender balance at work

Identify ways to break the glass walls that restrict girls’ and boys’ career horizons.

Diversity, equity & inclusion · Gender equality

At Christmas, your nephew received a chemistry set and your niece a make-your-own cosmetics kit. In reality, they are the same activity. Because your niece supposedly does not like science, another route into it seemed a good idea. But why do so many girls supposedly dislike science? Is that even true? Interests are not genetically programmed by XX or XY chromosomes. Yet the gender distribution of occupations, and the difficulty of attracting and retaining women in male-dominated jobs and men in female-dominated ones, call for new ways to create gender balance.

Part 1 · How girls and boys divide up subjects

Girls and science
Boys and supposedly feminine interests
The unequal social value assigned to the sexes

Part 2 · When stereotypes shape reality

The cognitive mechanics of bias: System 1 and System 2
Sociocultural views of intelligence and competence
Occupations that gain value, and those that lose it

Part 3 · Broaden everyone’s professional horizons

Make care work visible and valued
The power of experience and role models
Rethink skills and disrupt conventional career paths

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