Women's Journal — Health, Beauty, Fitness & Lifestyle

An Emory University study of 1,680 U.S. adults found that women reported greater interest in occupations described as having higher levels of female representation. Researchers also examined workplace belonging and gender stereotypes to assess how perceived representation relates to women’s interest in different careers. Key Takeaways Emory University researchers studied 1,680 U.S. adults across multiple questionnaire experiments. Women expressed greater interest in occupations presented as having higher female representation. Perceived workplace representation was associated with women’s expectations of belonging. The study examined gender stereotypes connected with different occupations. The findings were published in PLOS One. Emory Researchers Examine Gender Representation and Career Interest Researchers at Emory University examined the relationship between gender representation and women’s interest in different occupations through multiple questionnaire experiments involving U.S. adults. The study included 1,680 participants, consisting of 851 women and 829 men. Participants responded to questions designed to examine their reactions to occupations presented with different levels of female representation. The researchers examined more than stated interest in a particular occupation. Their questionnaires also considered expectations about belonging and perceptions associated with different types of work. The study focused on perceived gender representation rather than treating all occupations as having the same workplace composition.