To diversify male-dominated fields, role models matter

New analysis from the Federal Reserve shows that the pipeline of students coming out of college with degrees in economics is dominated by white men. Only 31% of those earning bachelor’s degrees in economics are women (the same percentage as the mid-1990s) and only 12% are under-represented minorities. Despite women earning the majority of college degrees overall (58%), the number of women majoring in many traditionally male-dominated fields such as economics or engineering remains stubbornly low. 

A recent study finds that role models may be a powerful way to change this. The study analyzed the impact of a seemingly small intervention – having two women alumnae who majored in economics come talk for fifteen minutes to randomly selected “principles in economics” classes during the semester. During the two separate visits, the women alumnae each talked about their experience as an economics major, their career path and accomplishments, and how majoring in economics helped them succeed. The role models who were asked to come speak were chosen after being interviewed by two women undergraduates currently majoring in economics who selected the role models from a shortlist of candidates based on their ability to communicate and their charisma. Two outcomes were then examined: actual enrollment in an intermediate economics course in the semester or year following the intervention and intent to major in economics. 

This role model intervention proved to have a large impact. Compared to women students who took the same class taught by the exact same professor in the previous year (control group), being in a class with the women role models doubled both the likelihood that a woman student took an intermediate economics class and the likelihood that a women student would state and intention to major in economic. The impact was even greater on top performing women students as measured by GPA (3.7 or higher). 

The increase in intent to major in economics was driven by fewer women planning to major in the humanities and languages. Thus, the intervention didn’t pull women planning to major in one male-dominated major into another male-dominated major. Rather, it drew women planning to major in more female-dominated majors into economics. Notably, the role model intervention had no impact on male students. 

Other research has documented the power of role models to change attitudes. 

A study of 495 villages in West Bengal, India examined how women political leaders changed perceptions among both parents and girls. In 1993, India adopted gender quotas for elected positions on village councils. In every election, in most Indian states, one-third of village chief councilor positions are randomly selected to be reserved for a woman. The result of this system is that the percentage of local leaders who are women increased from under 5 percent in 1992 to over 40% by 2000. 

Analysis comparing villages that never reserved the chief counselor position for a woman with villages that were assigned a woman leader for two election cycles discovered big differences. In villages with a woman leader for two election cycles, the gender gap in aspirations (i.e. desiring graduation from secondary school; wanting to marry above age 18) closed by 25% among parents and 32% among adolescents. Moreover, the gender gap in educational attainment was eliminated and girls spent less time on household chores. 

Studies looking at how to get more women interested and invested in STEM have also illustrated that role models matter. When women students were exposed to women STEM experts in the classroom (women professors) they were more confident in their abilities, participated more in class, and were more likely to seek out help from their professors than when they had male professor. Exposure to and contact with female mathematicians and engineers lead to women having better attitudes towards STEM, greater career interest in STEM, and increased identification with STEM. Another study found that when young women starting college had ongoing and quality interactions with successful female professors, the young women more readily identified with the professors and over time, increased their beliefs about their own leadership capabilities and were motivated to go after more ambitious career goals.

Exposure to and interactions with women who work in male-dominated occupations and fields helps other women see new possibilities. It broadens how women see themselves, what they think they are capable of, and opens up different career paths. This is how social change happens. For those of you who want to make a lasting impact, consider ways to be a role model. Spending even just fifteen minutes talking to a class about your career can make a real difference.   

Follow Marianne on Twitter @Coopermarianne and like her on Facebook For more on how families are coping in an uncertain age see Marianne’s book Cut Adrift: Families in Insecure Times.