The Persistence Of Traditional Gender Stereotypes: Evidence From The Distribution Of Academic Honors At A Female-Majority University

Abstract

A shift from male-majority to female-majority university campuses has opened up new areas for research on gender bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. At one large state university on the west coast, there were more female than male graduates in Spring, 2008 in 7 out of 8 colleges, including the traditionally male-majority areas of business and science.  Relative probabilities for men and women of receiving honors in each major field of study at this school, compared to national data of gender breakdowns by field in 1980, showed that men and women were still relatively more likely to receive honors in fields that were traditionally male and female, respectively. Findings also cast doubt upon Kanter’s tokenism hypothesis. Curiously, it was traditionally female, not male, fields that had the highest levels of gender inequity, though gender inequity overall may be on a decline. More research is needed to identify why this difference between gender and honors still exists. Universities should also be aware of the continuing potential for subtle gender discrimination, even in fields where equal numbers of men and women participate.