This Is What a Scientist Looks Like: Increasing Hispanic/Latina Women's Identification With STEM Using Relatable Role Models

Women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related careers are an underrepresented population due to the stigma and sexism they often face. Hispanic and Latina women are further underrepresented in STEM and experience "double jeopardy" due to sexism and racism. Due to factors such as these, women, and especially women of color, are often pushed out of their academic and career paths in STEM fields, further exacerbating what has been termed the "leaky pipeline" phenomenon. The present study seeks to create and evaluate a comic book-style intervention intended to promote the retention of women, and in particular Hispanic/Latina women, in STEM fields. Following exposure to a comic book that depicted a female scientist-vigilante who was either non-Hispanic/Latina White or a Hispanic/Latina, we assessed female STEM majors' implicit identification and self-reported group identification with STEM-based fields. Analyses revealed a significant two-way interaction such that when participants' ethnicity matched that of the vigilante's, implicit identification as a woman in STEM was stronger compared to instances in which a mismatch occurred. Hispanic/Latina participants who read about a Hispanic/Latina vigilante associated science and self words faster relative to Hispanic/Latina participants who read about a non-Hispanic/Latina White vigilante. Results did not support the matching hypothesis for explicit group identification. Ethnicity of female role models is an influential factor to consider when developing interventions to recruit and retain women in STEM, as well as the extent to which these materials increase women's identification with STEM-based fields. Recommendations for future research of similar intervention approaches are discussed. Las mujeres en carreras relacionadas con la ciencia, tecnología, ingeniería y matemáticas (STEM) son una población subrepresentada debido al estigma y el sexismo que a menudo enfrentan. Las mujeres Hispanas y Latinas están aún más subrepresentadas en carreras STEM y experimentan un "doble riesgo" a causa del sexismo y el racismo. Debido a factores como estos, las mujeres, y especialmente las mujeres de color, a menudo se ven empujadas de sus trayectorias académicas y profesionales en los campos STEM, lo que agrava aún más lo que se ha denominado como el fenómeno "leaky pipeline." El estudio actual busca crear y evaluar una intervención al estilo de cómics con la intencion de promover la retención de las