Cold Philosophers: Female Students' Perceived Lack of Fit in Stereotypes Is Associated With Underrepresentation.
Saved in:
| Title: | Cold Philosophers: Female Students' Perceived Lack of Fit in Stereotypes Is Associated With Underrepresentation. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Leopold, Arian, Köller, Michaela M., Renger, Daniela |
| Source: | Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology. Jan/Feb2025, Vol. 35 Issue 1, p1-14. 14p. |
| Subjects: | Cross-sectional method, Gender role, Stereotypes, Research funding, Sex distribution, Philosophy, Labor mobility, Structural equation modeling, Descriptive statistics, Intention, Student attitudes, College students, Confidence intervals, Data analysis software, Self-perception |
| Abstract: | Women's underrepresentation in philosophy requires a comprehensive investigation of the factors that contribute to it. This paper examines the presence of gender stereotypes regarding philosophers and the consequences of a perceived misfit in three studies. A pre‐study (N = 49) confirmed that students tend to think about males when asked to name philosophers. Study 1 (N = 530) used an online experiment with a general sample and found that philosophers are perceived as more male than female. Results demonstrated a perceived gender‐philosopher‐misfit regarding communal but not agentic attributes. Study 2 (N = 178) confirmed the prevalence of the male philosopher stereotype in philosophy students. Building on the Lack‐of‐Fit Model, we hypothesized and found that female students showed a higher perceived self‐philosopher‐misfit than male students on the communion dimension, but unexpectedly not on the agency dimension. Using a structural equation model, we showed that this perceived gender‐related communal misfit was associated with their lowered intention to persist and increased intention to quit their philosophy studies. The results replicate prior findings on gender stereotype misfits and highlight the special role of the communal dimension in shaping career decisions. Please refer to the Supporting Information section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| Abstract: | Women's underrepresentation in philosophy requires a comprehensive investigation of the factors that contribute to it. This paper examines the presence of gender stereotypes regarding philosophers and the consequences of a perceived misfit in three studies. A pre‐study (N = 49) confirmed that students tend to think about males when asked to name philosophers. Study 1 (N = 530) used an online experiment with a general sample and found that philosophers are perceived as more male than female. Results demonstrated a perceived gender‐philosopher‐misfit regarding communal but not agentic attributes. Study 2 (N = 178) confirmed the prevalence of the male philosopher stereotype in philosophy students. Building on the Lack‐of‐Fit Model, we hypothesized and found that female students showed a higher perceived self‐philosopher‐misfit than male students on the communion dimension, but unexpectedly not on the agency dimension. Using a structural equation model, we showed that this perceived gender‐related communal misfit was associated with their lowered intention to persist and increased intention to quit their philosophy studies. The results replicate prior findings on gender stereotype misfits and highlight the special role of the communal dimension in shaping career decisions. Please refer to the Supporting Information section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 10529284 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/casp.70036 |
