A book chapter by Dr. Jessica Cundiff has been selected for the Feb. 28 hard-copy publication of The War on Women in the United States: Beliefs, Tactics and the Best Defenses, edited by Dr. Joel T. Nadler, and Dr. Meghan R. Lower.

Cundiff is an assistant professor of psychological sciences. Her book chapter is titled “Subtle Barriers and Bias in STEM: How Stereotypes Constrain Women’s STEM Participation and Career Progress.”

Cundiff’s chapter reviews the evidence of powerful influence of stereotypes on our self-concepts and behaviors, examining how these stereotypes may sometimes, covertly and unintentionally, prevent women from entering and persisting in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Her research focuses on two categories of stereotypes — stereotypes about STEM fields and stereotypes about women’s STEM abilities. It explores the barriers these stereotypes impose on the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in STEM.

The book examines gender roles and inequity and the impact of unintentional efforts and purposeful efforts to undermine women’s equal treatment in the United States. The e-book is available at bit.ly/2EtnzeD.