Conference Program

The gender gap in STEM disciplines is rooted in childhood, through the channels of visual culture. Gender stereotypes emerge as early as age 2 (Serbin et al., 2001) and by age 5 are consolidated into associations that children apply to themselves and others (Martin & Ruble, 2004). During this period of maximum brain plasticity (Santrock & Rolle, 2017), images are the primary means through which children construct their understanding of the world (Tizard & Hughes, 2002), conveying meanings without the need for verbal mediation (Berger, 2008; Gibson, 2004). When illustrations connote the scientific imaginary as masculine, they construct barriers (Biemmi, 2017) that girls internalize as limits, with documented effects on self-efficacy and future aspirations (Lopez, 2012), contributing to educational segregation (Bian et al., 2017) and the underrepresentation of women in the most remunerative sectors of the economy (Marone & Buccini, 2022). Data integrating INVALSI assessments and university enrolment records confirm that girls, despite showing high levels of competence, are less likely to enrol in STEM programs. The divergence in choices is therefore not explained by differences in academic performance (Falzetti, 2024). Empirical evidence from an experimental study supports this position [blinded for review]. The study involved 82 children aged 4–5 years (M = 41, F = 41; mean age = 4.73 years), exposed to graphically neutralized illustrations — through the elimination of gender markers such as clothing, hairstyles, and sexual traits; the reduction of paedomorphic features (Araujo et al., 2022; Karniol, 2011); and the adoption of a neutral colour palette through the desaturation of gender-attributable colours. Results show statistically significant differences such as reduced stereotype conformity (U = 234, p < .001), lower automatic recognition of activities as gender-associated (U = 292, p < .001), and greater hesitation in choice (U = 461, p < .001). Furthermore, qualitative observations support these findings, showing greater hesitation and verbalization of uncertainty — signals of a shift from automatic to more deliberative categorization. These results provide empirical evidence that gender biases are culturally induced and modifiable through visual design. This is relevant for STEM materials, as pathways toward these domains depend not only on performance, but on motivational variables such as self-efficacy and disciplinary identity, influenced by gender as early as preschool age (Hart & Ganley, 2019; Vincent-Ruz et al., 2018). If graphic neutralization suspends stereotype-driven automatisms, STEM materials designed with visual neutrality criteria can represent a concrete intervention. The criteria were applied to the redesign of two STEM books for the preschool age group, demonstrating the transferability of the method to real editorial contexts. Systematically adopting these criteria — by publishers, illustrators, and institutions — means intervening on one of the earliest mechanisms through which gender inequalities are reproduced. Visual representations mediate identity construction from early childhood, shaping attitudes toward scientific knowledge. Rethinking the visual design of STEM materials as an epistemic and political act is a necessary condition for a democratic scientific education, in which knowledge becomes a shared civic competence, accessible to all regardless of gender.