PS287 Lecture 6: Achievement
Document Summary
By early (cid:883)99(cid:882)"s, more women than men attend college. Fewer woman than men major in (cid:498)stem(cid:499) fields. Women more in life sciences, men more in physical sciences. Refers to a stable personality trait that reflects tendency to strive for success (1953) Still concern among some women that achievement has social costs. Historically, explanation centered on fear of success. Fear of success high achievement has negative consequences (e. g. , for women, feel unfeminine, social rejection) Evidence controversial: early projective tests not valid measures of fear of success, self-report measures show higher fear of success for females. Why women leave traditionally masculine fields: fear of success or concerns about flexibility, time demands, lack of intrinsic interest in fields. Sex differences mostly in masculine tasks: women underestimate their performance and lack self-confidence in masculine domains. Lack of self-confidence could contribute to underrepresentation of women in math, science. Women may appear less confident: women reluctant to threated others self-esteem.
