Perceived biased treatment linked to brilliance-oriented FABs explains a substantial portion of the gender gap in entry into brilliance-oriented fields¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · theoretical r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2030: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Members of fields with more brilliance-oriented FABs rated their fields as less welcoming to women, and this perception explained approximately 35% of the gender gap in entry. → Christina A. Bauer 2025

Evidence¶

Christina A. Bauer 2025¶

Christina A. Bauer, Aashna Poddar, Eddie Brummelman, & Andrei Cimpian. (2025). The Brilliance–Belonging Model: How Cultural Beliefs About Intellectual Ability Undermine Educational Equity. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10034-2

q2 · i? · theoretical · r3

The review reports, citing Hannak, Joseph, Larremore, and Cimpian (2023), an analysis of career trajectories of over 85,000 academics globally on the other-related pathway. Supporting evidence also includes adults referring fewer women for brilliance-emphasizing jobs and children choosing girls as teammates less often under brilliance messages.

"members of fields with more brilliance-oriented FABs rated their fields as less welcoming to women, and this perception of biased treatment explained a substantial portion (approximately 35%) of the gender gap in entry into these fields"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Gender — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause

Related Claims¶

• Endorsement of brilliance-oriented FABs predicts lower self-efficacy among stigmatized students in brilliance-oriented contexts — related
• Field-specific ability beliefs are consensual cultural beliefs, acquired by early elementary school, that associate brilliance with fields like math more than language fields — a broader claim this one bears on
• Brilliance-oriented contexts heighten anxiety among intellectually stigmatized students — related
• Brilliance cues reduce stigmatized students' interest and intrinsic motivation, with effects emerging by age 6–7 and persisting into adulthood — related
• Brilliance stereotypes associating brilliance with boys, higher-SES, and White children emerge by age 6 — related
• Intersectional brilliance stereotypes show mixed patterns, supporting both intersectional invisibility and double jeopardy accounts — related