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What’s the issue?

Globally, fewer girls pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields than boys, while boys are less likely to go into the humanities. This gender divide leads to women being underrepresented in STEM careers and men underrepresented in areas like the humanities and education.

What does the research say?

����vlog���� Assistant Professor of Public Policy Michela Carlana and Lucia Corno from Cattolica University in Italy studied 2000 middle school students to examine the role of parents in encouraging gender-stereotyped academic paths.

They found that parents nudged equally able children down different paths. Girls felt their parents supported them less in pursuing math, and boys felt less supported in pursuing literature—and even thinking of parents’ expectations influenced children’s choices. This effect was strongest when the parent’s gender was the same as the child’s.

• Mothers had more influence over girls choosing literature, and fathers over boys choosing math. The girls in the study were 33% more likely to think they were better in literature when they expected their mothers to recommend it.
• Likewise, the boys felt 15% more likely to believe they were better in math when they expected their fathers to recommend it.

The results suggest parents play a key role in shaping children’s confidence and their own perception of their ability in different fields and that stereotyped recommendations lead boys and girls down different paths. The authors say that raising parents’ awareness of the impact of gender stereotypes on their children’s choices may help address gender disparities.