Jocelyn Steinke

Cultural Representations of Gender and Science: Portrayals of Female Scientists and Engineers in Popular Films

Images of female scientists and engineers in popular films convey cultural and social assumptions about the role of women in science, engineering, and technology (SET).This study analyzed cultural representations of gender conveyed through images of female scientists and engineers in popular films from 1991 to 2001. While many of these depictions of female scientists and engineers emphasized their appearance and focused on romance, most depictions also presented female scientists and engineers in professional positions of high status. Other images that showed the female scientists and engineers’ interactions with male colleagues, however, reinforced traditional social and cultural assumptions about the role of women in SET through overt and subtle forms of stereotyping. This article explores the significance of these findings for developing programs to change girls’ perceptions of scientists and engineers and attitudes toward SET careers.

Assessing Media Influences on Middle School–Aged Children's Perceptions of Women in Science Using the Draw-A-Scientist Test (DAST)

Gender stereotypes in the mass media perpetuate traditional views of women that may influence childrens perceptions of women in science, engineering, and technology. This study used a randomized posttest-only control group design to determine the efficacy of media literacy training on middle school–aged childrens perceptions of scientists. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: discussion, discussion plus viewing of television and film clips that featured images of women, or a control. A total of 304 seventh-grade students were asked to complete the Draw-A-Scientist Test and to write down the source of information for their drawings. Across conditions, boys were more likely than girls to draw male scientists, and girls were more likely than boys to draw female scientists. Boys also were more likely to depict other stereotypes of scientists. Media sources were listed as the primary source of information for the drawings.

The thrill of everyday science: images of science and scientists on children's educational science programmes in the United States

Several media effects perspectives suggest that televised images can influence childrens perceptions of science and scientists. This study analysed images of science and scientists in four childrens educational science programmes. The images of science as truth, as fun, and as a part of everyday life, as well as the image that science is for everyone, were quite evident. Little evidence was found for the image of science as magical or mysterious. Support for the images of science as dangerous and science as a solution to problems was mixed. Images of scientists as omniscient and elite were quite prevalent; there was no evidence for the image of scientists as evil or violent. Some support was found for the image of scientists as eccentric and antisocial. Overall, the images were more constructive than detrimental. Predictions about the effect these images could have on children and on the scientific community are given.

A Lab of Her Own?: Portrayals of Female Characters on Children's Educational Science Programs.

Television teaches children gender-specific behaviors, attitudes, and characteristics. By observing male and female characters on television, children learn to label certain characteristics and behaviors as masculine or feminine and to assign traditional gender-role stereotypes to careers. This study examines the portrayals of female characters on four popular television series for children and discusses those portrayals in the light of other research on television and socialization. The study found that over twice as many male characters as female characters and twice as many male scientists as female scientists were shown on these series. Females were most often seen as pupils or apprentices, laboratory assistants, or science reporters, and less often as expert scientists. Of the 86 females appearing in these programs, 68 were portrayed in secondary roles as students or laboratory assistants.

Portrayals of Male and Female Scientists in Television Programs Popular Among Middle School-Age Children

This content analysis examined portrayals of scientist characters in 14 television programs popular among or likely to have been viewed by middle school—age children. While male scientists significantly outnumbered and appeared in significantly more scenes than did female scientists, males and females were depicted similarly in reference to professional position, marital status, and parental status. Gender-stereotyped behavior was largely absent in portrayals of scientist characters. Additionally, both male and female scientists were portrayed most often with the wishful identification attribute of intelligence. Implications for middle school—age children’s perceptions of scientists and for cultivating girls’ interest in science careers are discussed.

Women scientist role models on screen: A case study of contact

In the absence of real-life role models, children may construct an understanding of the role of women in science based largely on images of women scientists they see in the media. This study assesses the images used in the portrayal of a female astronomer in the film, Contact. The themes used as a framework for the analysis were early encouragement in science, professional status, professional reputation, professional relationships, and impact of personal relationships on career goals. The films portrayal of a woman scientist is discussed in light of empirical data and anecdotal reports on the actual experiences of women scientists.

Science in Cyberspace: Science and Engineering World Wide Web Sites for Girls

In the absence of real-life role models, images of women scientists and engineers on the World Wide Web can be important sources of information about women in science, engineering, and technology. This study analyzed the content of 27 science and engineering Web sites for girls and examined recurring themes in 168 of the biographies of women scientists and engineers found on these sites. Most of the Web sites included information about scientific, engineering, and technological disciplines and presented occupational information—information shown to be important for increasing girls’ interest in these areas. The biographies of women scientists and engineers found on these Web sites addressed issues concerning parental attitudes, acceptance by male colleagues, and family-friendly policies in workplaces— issues shown to be related to girls’ future interest in careers in science, engineering, and technology. By providing detailed information about the experiences and personal lives of women scientists and engineers, the biographies on these Web sites may be useful in countering existing cultural stereotypes of women scientists and engineers and initiating changes in perceptions needed to narrow the gender gap in science, engineering, and technology.

Connecting Theory and Practice: Women Scientist Role Models in Television Programming

Berns gender schema theory (Bern 1981, 1983, 1993) provides a useful framework for examining the influence of women scientist role models on girls’ perceptions of science and scientists. The purpose of this paper is (1) to describe how Berns gender schema theory serves as a framework for guiding future research, (2) to examine the fundamental premises of Berns gender schema theory as they relate to the processing of information about science and gender roles, and (3) to identify key conditions and criteria from gender schema theory to guide the design of television programs that use role models to reduce gender‐stereotyping of science.

Gender Differences in Adolescents’ Wishful Identification With Scientist Characters on Television

Adolescents’ wishful identification with televised scientist characters was examined as related to interactions among the following variables: gender of participant, gender of scientist character, program genre, and selected character attributes. Findings indicated some gender differences in adolescents’ wishful identification with scientist characters they viewed on television. Boys showed more wishful identification with male scientist than with female scientist characters for all character attributes, and girls showed more wishful identification with female scientist than with male scientist characters portrayed dominant or as working alone. Both girls and boys showed more wishful identification with scientist characters in drama programs than for those in cartoon and educational programs across all character attributes. Both girls and boys showed more wishful identification for some character attributes depending on the program genre viewed. Implications of these findings for producers of television programs and other media are discussed related to efforts to encourage adolescent girls’ interest in science careers.

Reaching Readers Assessing Readers' Impressions of Science News

Although most people rely on the mass media to translate the abstract principles and technical jargon of scientific research into comprehensible information they can use to make informed decisions about their lives and about science policy, there is little research examining peoples impressions of newspaper reports on science and how these impressions influence their reading of science news. This study used think-aloud protocols to examine the responses of a small group of readers to two newspaper science articles. Results indicate that readers may be most concerned about their ability to understand the articles and their interest in an articles subject. When readers encountered information they could not comprehend, they used a number of reading strategies, such as rephrasing, questioning, and acknowledging a lack of prior knowledge. These responses illustrate how individual predispositions, social affiliations, and information processing abilities can influence impressions of science news.