Negative stereotypes and biases involving female students may further dissuade them from enrolling in certain STEM fields.

• Negative stereotypes of women's' abilities: implicit assumptions around female students' abilities may induce stereotype threat. This is more prominently found in computer science, engineering, and physics.
• Perceptions of gender bias and discrimination: meta-awareness of these stereotypes and biases lead female students to perceive certain STEM fields as less welcoming. This, in turn, decreases enrollment rate and falsely reinforces existing beliefs about female students being uninterested in STEM. Similarly, in the fields with greater female student representation, fewer negative stereotypes and biases are found.