School Connectedness and STEM Orientation in Adolescent Girls: The Role of Perceived Gender Discrimination and Implicit Gender-Science Stereotypes

Girls and women continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), and this underrepresentation has been partly attributed to gendered socialization processes early in life. One common feature of girls’ developmental years is the experience of gender discrimination, yet relatively few studies have examined how girls’ own experiences with gender discrimination may shape their connectedness to school and STEM. Using data from a cross-sectional study of ethnically and socioeconomically diverse adolescent girls (N = 295; Mage = 15.1, SD = 1.1; 54% White, 21% African American, 13% Latinx), we examined the unique and interactive effects of girls’ subjective experiences with gender discrimination and implicit gender-science stereotypes on school connectedness and STEM orientation. Participants completed a survey on their experiences with gender discrimination, school connectedness, math and science achievement motivations, and the gender-science implicit association test. Results demonstrated that girls who experienced more gender discrimination reported lower levels of school connectedness. Gender discrimination also negatively predicted math achievement motivations for girls who more strongly endorsed implicit gender-science stereotypes (i.e., science associated with men and liberal arts associated with women). The theoretical and practical significance of these findings are discussed.