Reducing the Impact of Negative Stereotypes on the Careers of Minority and Women Scientists
By Daisy GrewalNov. 26, 2010 , 10:00 AM

Social science research powerfully demonstrates how stereotypes, even those that people are not consciously aware of, can influence the careers of women and minorities. For example, people rate the quality of a scientific paper differently depending on whether they think a man or a woman wrote it. Stereotypes also reduce the self-esteem, motivation, and intellectual performance of women and minorities through a process called stereotype threat. Stereotype threat reduces performance in situations where an individual might confirm a negative stereotype about his or her group. In one example, researchers found that African-American college students performed worse on an SAT test when the students had been told that the test is a valid measure of intelligence.
