The Draw‐A‐Woman Scientist Test: Exploring Schoolchildren's Perceptions of Women Scientists

ABSTRACT Research on the gender gap in STEM has primarily focused on the behaviours of girls and women in response to their environments, with little focus on the attitudes of the boys and men. We introduce the Draw‐A‐Woman‐Scientist Test (DAWST), a variant on the Draw‐A‐Scientist Test (DAST), in order to understand attitudes towards women scientists. Using a sample of 696 drawings from students in grades K–7, we analyse rubric scores for differences across grade and gender. Our findings indicate that boys are less likely than girls to depict women scientists with feminine features. In addition, girls more frequently illustrate contemporary, realistic scientists, while boys tend to portray scientists in more sensationalised ways. Few changes occur across grade level other than those associated with drawing skill level. Overall, the image of the traditional scientist (lab coat, goggles, chemistry) persists. We note implications for policy and practice, with a focus on how ‘girls‐in‐STEM’ initiatives may contribute to gender imbalances by siloing depictions of women scientists into gender‐specific programming, rather than integrating those images into mainstream science education.