Explanations for Women's Underrepresentation in STEM

This handout was used as a supplement to a talk I gave to STEM faculty about the underrepresentation of women in certain STEM fields. The talk was part of a series on inclusive pedagogy in STEM. It is not all-inclusive (i.e., there are other factors that shape women's STEM experiences/interest), but it highlights five different factors that have been empirically demonstrated in social psychological research. They are: communal goals, sense of belonging, stereotypes, discrimination, and lack of peers/role models.