The media is full of geek stereotypes, everywhere from Big Bang Theory to episodes of CSI and NCIS. These images of geeks as antisocial, immature dorks may seem harmless — but a new study suggests these media images help keep women out of computer science.
A team of researchers at University of Washington decided to find out how media representations of geeks affect women’s interest in the computer field. Previous studies have shown that a lot of women stay away from computers and other technical fields because they perceive them as being only for a certain type of man. One 2011 study found that women who were exposed to biographies of female engineers had a more positive attitude towards math than women who only saw biographies of male engineers.
via io9
