STEM fields have notoriously been male-dominated. Out of 300 STEM-oriented images we found on Flickr, only 38% of the people within them were femme-presenting, highlighting a significant underrepresentation. This disparity was further evident in our graphic elicitation study, where participants predominantly drew male figures when asked to depict STEM professionals. These findings demonstrate a market for a curated social justice gallery focusing on diverse representation.

By leveraging the Flickr Commons, the gallery showcases a broader range of historical femme representations in STEM. By creating dynamic public and social media adverts with images from the study, we encourag professionals to engage with the gallery on their daily commute. This approach not only directs individuals to a visual resource promoting gender diversity, but also normalizes diverse representations in STEM, fostering a sense of belonging and inspiration.

The combination of our research methods, gallery, and its marketing strategy demonstrates a commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable STEM community, uplifting individuals who have been historically marginalized in these fields.

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Femme-presenting people remain underrepresented in male-dominated STEM fields, especially computing. Stereotypes and societal biases often obscure their challenges and contributions, underscoring the need for initiatives that drive awareness, empathy, and inclusivity.

How can we use intentionally curated Flickr images, research and data analysis insights, and marketing materials to challenge the status quo?

Background

Computing was once considered a feminine endeavor due to its routine and mechanical nature (Ensmenger, 2015). The progression of STEM spaces has been much like the previous industrial revolution, where machinery was developed through the lens of “modern manliness” (Oldenziel, 1999, p.19). Men began to push women out of the picture and self identifying with pop culture images of the genius programmer, effectively colonizing the technology space.

The culture of the industry, stemming from male-dominated college computer labs, makes the space unfriendly for non-male-identifying people to navigate. “Tech” is glorified as “masculine” through image (Ensmenger 2015). Social media trends perpetuate these stereotypes, undermining the self-esteem of those who do not fit the image of a technologist (Rutledge, 2023).

Therefore, we see a trend of low engagement of women in STEM and computing — women only make up 24% of the STEM workforce (Piloto, 2023).

Study Findings

Data analysis: Using the Flickr API, we generated a random photo sample of 300 images with tags like engineer, hackathon, computer science, and so on. We then hand-coded the gender of individuals present in the images and discovered that only 38% of identifiable individuals were femme-presenting.

Graphic elicitation: We asked 8 study participants to draw and use AI image generation to create images of 5 STEM professions. Of all the images, only 29% were femme-presenting.

User interviews: We conducted interviews with 8 participants and found that

1. They perceived STEM work culture as homogenous, which makes it hard for people who did not fit in to enter the space.
2. People tended to respect male leadership and authority more, while women were not taken as seriously.
3. Participants said representation would make them feel more confident in the space due to knowing there were people like them who also made it — it's inspirational to see that people who do not fit into the stereotype can also succeed.

References

• Duguid, M. M., & Thomas-Hunt, M. C. (2015). Condoning stereotyping? How awareness of stereotyping prevalence impacts expression of stereotypes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(2), 343–359. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037908
• Ensmenger, Nathan. (2015). “Beards, Sandals, and Other Signs of Rugged Individualism”: Masculine Culture within the Computing Professions. Osiris, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.1086/682955
• National Center for Women & Information Technology. (2023). Women and Information Technology by the Numbers. https://wpassets.ncwit.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/13192101/ncwit_btn_03252021_fullsize.pdf
• Oldenziel, Ruth. (1999). Making Technology Masculine: Men, Women, and Modern Machines in America, 1870–1945.
• Piloto, C. (2023, March 13). The Gender Gap in STEM | MIT Professional Education. MIT Professional Education. https://professionalprograms.mit.edu/blog/leadership/the-gender-gap-in-stem/
• Singh, V. K., Chayko, M., Inamdar, R., & Floegel, D. (2020). Female librarians and male computer programmers? Gender bias in occupational images on digital media platforms. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 71(11), 1281–1294. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.4335
• UNESCO. (2024, April 25). New UNESCO report warns social media affects girls' well-being, learning and career choices. UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/gem-report/en/articles/new-unesco-report-warns-social-media-affects-girls-well-being-learning-and-career-choices
• US Census Bureau. (2024, September 10). Income in the United States: 2023. Census.gov. https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/p60-282.html