“Clinging to the idea that maybe there are innate reasons that girls and women aren’t interested in and or don’t have aptitude for science and math,” she said, “before we’ve actually managed to remove the features of the environment that discourage and discriminate against them when they try is just foolish.”

Stemwedel agreed that Kenny had it backwards. “There are science teachers who can make science seem like a boring pile of facts—as well as science teachers… who are not shy about communicating that science is not really for girls,” she explained. “Given the other background social pressures, especially during adolescence, this kind of message may discourage girls from taking science classes (where both teachers and peers question whether the girls belong there) in favor of something else.”

Again and again, talking with women involved in scientific—or even just male-dominated—areas, it was clear Kenny’s was the last wheel in a self-fulfilling prophecy machine. Tell girls that girls and women don’t like science, that it’s a man’s space for men, and witness the results. Then find your confirmation from this result that tells you, well, girls must not like science—otherwise women would be doing science!