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Why Don't Girls Choose Technological Studies? Adolescents' Stereotypes and Attitudes towards Studies Related to Medicine or Engineering

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Mercedes López-Sáez ,
Susana Puertas  and
Milagros Sáinz
Mercedes López-Sáez*
Affiliation:
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (Spain)
Susana Puertas
Affiliation:
Universidad de Granada (Spain)
Milagros Sáinz
Affiliation:
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Spain)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Mercedes López-Sáez. Departamento de Psicología Social y de las Organizaciones. Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED). Juan del Rosal 10. 28040 Madrid. (Spain). E-mail: mlopez@psi.uned.es
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Abstract

Gender differences in choice of studies emerge already in adolescence. Two studies with adolescents are presented, the goal of which is to explore the influence of gender by assessing males and females who choose studies related to Medicine or Engineering. Study 1, correlational (N = 330, mean age 15.9, 56.7% girls), shows that girls who choose technology are more poorly appraised than girls who choose other studies. Study 2 (N = 130; mean age 16.77, 56.2% girls), experimental, measures implicit attitudes (using the IAT) towards males and females from Medicine and Engineering. Implicit attitudes are more favorable towards women if they are studying Medicine and towards men if they study Engineering. The results are analyzed with relation to the percentages of boys and girls in the different fields of study.

Las diferencias de género en elección de estudios aparecen ya en la adolescencia. Se presentan dos estudios con muestras de adolescentes, cuyo objetivo es explorar la influencia del género al evaluar a hombres y mujeres que eligen estudios relacionados con Medicina o con Ingeniería. El estudio 1, correlacional (N = 330; media de edad 15,9), muestra que la chica de tecnología es peor evaluada que la que elige otro tipo de estudios. El estudio 2 (N = 130; media de edad 17,8), experimental, mide actitudes implícitas (utilizando el IAT) hacia hombres y mujeres de Medicina e Ingeniería. Las actitudes implícitas hacia las mujeres son más favorables si pertenecen a Medicina y hacia los hombres si pertenecen a Ingeniería. Los resultados se analizan en relación con las tasas de chicas y chicos en las distintas ramas de estudio.

Keywords

Career choicegender stereotypesgender attitudesadolescenceIATelección de estudiosestereotipos de géneroactitudes de géneroadolescenciaIAT
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 14 , Issue 1 , May 2011 , pp. 74 - 87
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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