Living in the tensions: Investigations of gender performativity in STEM
Fuente:
arXiv
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866918283300569088 |
|---|---|
| author | Strain, Smith Leibnitz, Noah Ruben, Reagan Li, Yangqiuting Burkholder, Eric |
| author_facet | Strain, Smith Leibnitz, Noah Ruben, Reagan Li, Yangqiuting Burkholder, Eric |
| contents | In this work, we present the results of semi-structured interviews with four women to explore how they perceive themselves with respect to three gender constructs (femininity, masculinity, androgyny), and how they believe others perceive them. All the women highlighted the performative nature of gender in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), citing (1) stereotypes that women are not analytical thinkers, or femininity being associated with "being stupid"; (2) the pressure to conform to the masculine norms of STEM, and (3) a pressure to perform to prove that they belong in STEM. Some of these women aligned their own perceptions of their gender with these norms, while others expressed frustration with the tension between their gender and how that is perceived by peers in STEM. This work suggests that conceptualizing gender as performance is a useful lens for understanding the oppression and underrepresentation of women and gender minorities in STEM. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_07126 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Living in the tensions: Investigations of gender performativity in STEM Strain, Smith Leibnitz, Noah Ruben, Reagan Li, Yangqiuting Burkholder, Eric Physics Education In this work, we present the results of semi-structured interviews with four women to explore how they perceive themselves with respect to three gender constructs (femininity, masculinity, androgyny), and how they believe others perceive them. All the women highlighted the performative nature of gender in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), citing (1) stereotypes that women are not analytical thinkers, or femininity being associated with "being stupid"; (2) the pressure to conform to the masculine norms of STEM, and (3) a pressure to perform to prove that they belong in STEM. Some of these women aligned their own perceptions of their gender with these norms, while others expressed frustration with the tension between their gender and how that is perceived by peers in STEM. This work suggests that conceptualizing gender as performance is a useful lens for understanding the oppression and underrepresentation of women and gender minorities in STEM. |
| title | Living in the tensions: Investigations of gender performativity in STEM |
| topic | Physics Education |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.07126 |