What Does a Scientist Look Like? (Hint: Probably Not What You Think)

What do you picture when you hear ‘scientist?’ You might imagine heaps of test tubes filled with mysterious, colorful liquids or a white lab coat. But what about the scientist themself? 

Most students, unfortunately, think of scientists as old white men — often with a shock of white hair — dressed in starched lab coats. Views of what scientists look like and what they actually engage in tend to be narrow and gendered, indicating that decades-long stereotypes of scientists and science prevail. 

These stereotypes have a tangible impact on how students perceive their place in the world of STEM. When students don’t see themselves reflected in science, they begin to question whether they belong in STEM at all, causing them to distance their scientific interests from their daily life. Over time, this can discourage students from pursuing their scientific interests, even when they have the curiosity and potential to thrive.

For decades, educators and researchers have been using the "Draw a Scientist Activity" to build awareness and better understand these perceptions. In this activity, students are asked to draw what they think a scientist looks like. Afterwards, students explain their drawing and reflect on why they made those choices, typically in a student-friendly group discussion.

While the task may seem straightforward, the results often reveal striking patterns. Here are some common trends. See if anything surprises you!

1. Most drawings depict scientists as male

2. Many drawings show white scientists

3. Lab coats, goggles, beakers, and explosions are extremely common

4. Scientists are often shown working alone

5. Drawings tend to focus on chemistry-style labs, even when students know scientists in other fields

6. Younger children draw more varied scientists, while older students draw more stereotypical ones

These patterns have been documented for decades. In one of the earliest studies conducted between 1966 and 1977, researchers collected nearly 5,000 drawings from students. The results revealed a striking bias: 99.4% of the drawings depicted a male scientist. Only 28 drawings featured female scientists, and all of those were drawn by girls. That’s less than 1% of students!

Gradually, these trends have begun to change. By 1985, approximately 33% of students drew female scientists, and by 2016, that number had increased to 58% — more than half. A 2018 meta-analysis by Miller, Nolla, Eagly, & Uttal reviewed the results of nearly 80 studies that have repeated the Draw A Scientist test. Their findings suggest that as women's representation in science has risen and female scientists are more often depicted in children's media, students are increasingly likely to associate science with both men and women.