To mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we asked girls and boys from two fifth-grade classes to draw a scientist. The sample consisted of 22 girls and 17 boys, for a total of 39 participants.
The results show how gender stereotypes influence shape children’s perceptions: most boys drew a male scientist, while only a minority of girls drew female figures. This initiative highlights the importance of promoting positive female scientist role models for future generations.
As shown below, most of the drawings depict a male scientist, while only a few portray a female scientist. The aesthetics of the drawings are also thought-provoking. The initiative aims to highlight how gender stereotypes influence children’s imagination and why it is important to promote positive female role models in science.
Download the PDF “Draw a Scientist” to see both the results and the children’s drawings. You can also view the full presentation in the gallery below.
Credits: Maria Cristina Baglio, Giulia Illiano, Isabella Mariani (on behalf of the DEA@OAB group)
On this occasion, we also updated the poster featuring all the women who work every day at our observatory!
View the full program of activities from the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Outreach Office using the dynamic map: https://iauoutreach.org/astronomy-outreach/map
