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Kids are starting to picture scientists as women

But gender stereotypes begin to take hold in preteen years

drawing of a female scientists

#WOMENINSCIENCE  On average, 55 percent of girls and 95 percent of boys drew scientists as male in surveys since the 1980s. That's progress compared with the 0.6 percent (all girls) who depicted a female scientist between 1966 and 1977.

Courtesy of Richard Jones and Lori Fulton/Univ. of Hawaii Manoa

By Erika Engelhaupt

- More than 2 years ago

Ask a classroom of children to draw a scientist, and you’ll see plenty of Crayola-colored lab coats, goggles and bubbling beakers.