08/11/2026
Representation matters
It’s day!
More kids than ever are drawing scientists as women and the shift is striking. 👩‍🔬
A study analyzing 20,860 sketches over five decades found that in the 1960s and ’70s, less than 1% of U.S. students depicted scientists as female. By 2016, that number had climbed to 34% and among girls, more than half now draw women as scientists.
This shift mirrors real-world progress: Between 1960 and 2013, the percentage of women in science jobs grew from 28% to 49% in biological sciences, 8% to 35% in chemistry, and 3% to 11% in physics and astronomy.
Representation matters and the next generation is seeing the future differently.
