Belonging Uncertainty of Women in Quantitative Fields Such as Math

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Belonging Uncertainty of Women in Quantitative Majors Such as Math

Belonging uncertainty occurs to people of all genders, races, ethnicities, and social status’. It is the feeling that one does not belong in an area or field. We concentrated on womens’ belonging uncertainty in a quantitative major, math. All over the world, there are women who have a desire to pursue majors such as science, engineering, technology, and math, but they are discouraged from doing so because of stereotypes that suggest that they do not have the capability to compete with men in those fields. Some research looked at minorities and their belonging uncertainty; others looked specifically at women and the factors in play which create belonging uncertainty for them in quantitative fields such as math.

Walton and Cohen (2007) investigated whether or not minority groups would be unsure of the friendships and social links they form, which in turn would affect their feelings of social belonging. In the experiment, Black students had difficulty listing 8 friends in the computer science major which prompted a negative sense of social fit in that major, while white students showed no similar effect. This implies that social belonging relates to whether or not an individual feels comfortable in the major they pursue, and whether they will be confident in recommending that major to someone similar to themselves (Walter & Cohen, 2007). A similar study conducted by Johnson (2012) was tailored to observe the effects of the college environment on Black women and their social belonging (Johnson, 2012).

Researcher Johnson (2012) focused on the college environment, and its effect on the sense of belonging that women, especially women of color, may lack. The results...

... middle of paper ...

...ate perceptions and overall sense of belonging among

racially diverse women in STEM major. Journal of College Student Development,

53, 336-346.

Rosenthal, L., London, B., & Levy, S.R. (2011). The roles of perceived identity compatibility

and social support for women in a single-sex STEM program at a co-education

university. Sex Roles, 65, 725-736. doi: 10.1007/s11199-011-9945-0

Smith, J.L., Lewis, K.L., Hawthorne, L., & Hodges, S.D. (2012). When trying hard isn’t natural:

Women’s belonging with and motivation for male-dominated STEM fields as a function

of effort expenditure. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 39, 131-143. doi:

1177/0146167212468332.

Walton, G., & Cohen, G.L. (2007). A question of belonging: Race, social fit, and achievement.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 82-96. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.92.1.

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