By age 6, children already begin to associate boys with greater aptitude in STEM fields, including computer science and engineering, compared to girls.

Such beliefs among girls tend to become deeply ingrained over time.

The 74 reported these reports stem from an analysis conducted by the American Institutes for Research, released Monday. This comprehensive review examined nearly 100 studies across 33 countries.

David Miller, the lead author and a senior researcher who launched the project five years ago, emphasized that without efforts to address such perceptions, girls may turn away from “fast-growing tech fields like artificial intelligence.”

In elementary school, girls comprise about half of the students enrolled in foundational computer science courses. However, the participation drops to 44% in middle school and decreases to 33% in high school, according to The 74.

Miller noted that these findings have significant implications for girls’ decisions regarding high school course electives, college majors, and, eventually, their career choices.

The STEM field has historically offered limited opportunities for women in the U.S., particularly for Black women, AFROTECH™ previously reported.

While women comprise half of the college-educated workforce, only 34% are employed in STEM fields. They are particularly underrepresented in rapidly growing areas like computer science.

Data from the Gallup and Walton Family Foundation’s Voices of Gen Z reveals that male members of Generation Z in the U.S. show a more substantial interest in STEM fields than their female counterparts.

The findings come from a Gallup Panel web survey conducted from Sept. 11 to 19, 2023, involving 2,006 Gen Z individuals ages 12 to 26. When asked about their interest in careers related to life and physical STEM, 85% of males born between 1997 and 2011 reported being very or somewhat interested in at least one of these fields, compared to 63% of females.

While young males and females report similar levels of enjoyment in STEM, Gen Z females are nearly 20 percent less likely to pursue a career in the industry due to a lack of confidence in their abilities. In contrast, males are more likely to cite a lack of knowledge about STEM careers, according to Gallup.

Such statistics contributed to Jamila Lindo’s decision to self-publish a children’s book. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Lindo sprang into action after noticing that the middle and high school girls she tutored were surprised to learn she went to college to become a civil engineer, having not been exposed to various careers in STEM.

In March 2021, Lindo released “Girls Can Be Engineers,” which tackles the stereotype that women can’t succeed in STEM and aims to broaden young girls’ understanding of the sector and the possibilities for their future careers.

“Anyone should be able to do anything — regardless of their gender,” Lindo said, AFROTECH™ reported. “That was a big point of the book.”

“My book is in the same space as [famous writers’] books,” she added. “That feels so good to know that you’ve accomplished something to that scale.”