When thoughts turn to romance, young women have less interest in science, says study.
Young women who want romance show less interest in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) than in other fields, says a study (L. E. Park et al. Pers. Soc. Psychol. B. 37, 1259–1273; 2011). The authors gauged reactions of 350 students to 'romantic' images such as candlelight and sunsets, to other images of books or libraries, and to chats about dating or tests. Those who saw and heard romantic content reported less interest in STEM. Such dynamics could contribute to women's low representation in STEM, says lead author Lora Park, a psychologist at the University at Buffalo in New York.
Related links
Related links
Related links in Nature Research
Rekindling the gender-bias debate
Related external links
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Romance beats science. Nature 477, 123 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nj7362-123d
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nj7362-123d