Research reveals hidden obstacle for women in academia

A sweeping new study finds that women are penalized for pursuing research perceived to be "feminized" – an implicit bias surprisingly strong in fields associated with women. For more than a decade, women have earned more doctoral degrees than men in the United States. Despite that, women still lag behind men in getting tenure, getting published and reaching leadership positions in academia. Much of the research into why that might be focuses on structural barriers and explicit prejudice. But a new study by a team of researchers at Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE) finds a widespread implicit bias against academic work that simply seems feminine – even if it's not about women or gender specifically.