1Cademy - Factors that influence why women and underrepresented minorities leave the STEM major

Concept

Factors that influence why women and underrepresented minorities leave the STEM major

The differential effect of the null environment: uses the weeding out mentality which basically means that capable students will pass their classes with minimal help and or encouragement. The effect is that women have to use their personal resources to pass the class. However, environments are negatively stereotyped against women with greater intellectual ability and women often have access to fewer resources --> women leave STEM.
Stereotype threat: when the fear to confirm a negative stereotype about one's group, interferes with performance. The weeding out mentality causes some people to feel like they should fail, which therefore heightens the salience of stereotypes about intellectual ability of different groups.