Parents, teachers, school counselors, and peers contribute to and are influenced by these different images. Women can be perceived by themselves and by society as being sociable, caring, submissive, quiet, creative, followers. Female science and engineering students visit urban and rural schools and women's organizations to discuss the excitement and relevance of careers in science and engineering, and in the process changes these images. Innumerable studies have produced a substantial body of knowledge about the factors that dissuade girls and women from considering careers in science and engineering. All of these factors are clearly linked to the mutually exclusive images in our society of women and of science.
Images are the product of culture reflecting the beliefs, values, and heritage of society.
They are much slower to change than the more immediate and tangible concerns of individuals, such as job markets, economic trends, and the rapid impacts of new technologies. However, as out of step with real life issues they are, these images shape the way children and adults perceive the world and their place in it. Children are exposed to these images almost from birth, and they are continually reinforced throughout childhood and adolescence. In this paper, the images of scientists and engineers are compared and contrasted with the images of women. The factors that shape and reinforce the images of women and the reasons why some women choose to pursue the fields of science and engineering are examined.