The Daily Stat: Why a Female Scientist in a Pink Dress Is No Hero to Girls

Are you having trouble viewing this email? If so, click here to see it in a web browser. HOME   |   BLOGS   |   THE MAGAZINE   |   BOOKS   |   AUTHORS   |   STORE RSS   |   Mobile AUGUST 6, 2012 Why a Female Scientist in a Pink Dress Is No Hero to Girls Adolescent girls' plans for taking college math drop if they're shown feminine-looking women excelling in technological fields. After 11- to 13-year-old girls heard about women who were successful in science and wore dark-colored clothing, their expectations of taking math averaged 5.57 on a 1-to-7 scale, say Diana Betz and Denise Sekaquaptewa of the University of Michigan. But when girls learned about science-achieving women who wore makeup and pink clothes, their expectations of taking math fell to 4.04. Feminine-looking scientists may seem a rare breed to gender-stereotyping adolescents, and past research suggests that unattainable role models aren't inspiring, they're threatening. Source: My Fair Physicist? Feminine Math and Science Role Models Demotivate Young Girls Share Today's Stat: FEATURED PRODUCT Build, Borrow, or Buy: Solving the Growth Dilemma HBR Press Book How should you grow your organization? It's one of the most challenging questions an executive team faces—and the wrong answer can break your firm. So where do you start? By asking the right questions, argue INSEAD's Laurence Capron and coauthor Will Mitchell, of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. Drawing on decades of research and teaching, Capron and Mitchell find that a firm's aptitude for determining the best resource pathways for growth has a defining impact on its success. ADVERTISEMENT Follow the Stat: BEST SELLERS HBR's 10 Must Reads: The Essentials HBR's Must Reads Library Set Guide to Persuasive Presentations Guide to Better Business Writing Guide to Getting the Right Work Done PREVIOUS STATS Congested Spaces Give Rise to Most Incidents of Rudeness U.S. Teens Suffer from Influx of Immigrant Laborers Decline of Unions Increases Burglaries and Theft Mexico Is Tops in Per-Capita Drinking of Coca-Cola Products Call-Center Jobs Booming in Rural America Why You Should Sit with More People in the Lunchroom Gays Boost Home Prices in Liberal Areas, Depress Prices in Conservative Areas Thoughts of Organic Food Reduce Your Desire to Be Helpful Many Financial Pros Feel Pressure to Compromise Ethics The Color Red Makes You Push for a Better Deal Introducing HBR's Morning Advantage The Harvard Business Review Morning Advantage delivers the latest business ideas from beyond HBR.org directly to your inbox every morning — and it is free! Sign up today >> UNSUBSCRIBE   |   UPDATE YOUR PROFILE   |   MORE EMAIL NEWSLETTERS   |   PRIVACY POLICY Was this email forwarded to you? If so, sign up to start receiving your own copy. ABOUT THIS MAILING LIST You have received this message because you subscribed to the "The Daily Stat" email newsletter from Harvard Business Review. If at any point you wish to remove yourself from this list, change your email address, or sign up for other email newsletters and alerts, please visit the Harvard Business Review Email Newsletter Preference Center. OPT OUT If you do not wish to receive any email messages from Harvard Business Review, click here. ADVERTISE WITH HBR This enewsletter is read by thousands of decision makers every day. Learn more about connecting your brand with this audience. Copyright © 2012 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing | 60 Harvard Way | Boston, MA 02163 Customer Service: 800-545-7685 (+1-617-783-7600 outside the U.S. and Canada)