A lack of sense of belonging has been shown to contribute to women leaving the sciences (Seymour 1997). Contributing to this is the fact that most women find affirmation externally � through friends, family and professors � for their life decisions (Seymour, 1997; Zeldin 2000).  This qualitative study focuses on the life experiences of women established in science fields to examine how they perceived their own sense of belonging in the field.  Participants ranged in age from undergraduate women pursuing a science related undergraduate degree to women who have retired from an academic career in the sciences.  Women completed personal statements and in-depth interviews which explored past choices as well as current perceptions of the results of those choices. Results indicated that women often established themselves in a science field based on positive experiences/achievements in the sciences rather than social support mechanisms.  This led to a feeling of being a �black sheep� among their non-science female family and peers.  A set of comparative studies in 2000 and 2008 were done examining factors affecting women's and men's choices of majors and careers (Zeldin 2000 and Zeldin 2008). The individualistic attitude of the participants in our study more closely align with the attitudes of the men than the women in Zeldin's studies. An explanation for this phenomenon is found in the sociological Distance from Privilege model (Nobel, 1999).

Black sheep phenomenon: Women's sense of belonging in the sciences across generations

247th National Meeting (2014)

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