As attitudes and aspirations are formed early in life, such stereotypes have a critical role in shaping future academic and professional career choices, they may account in part for the low shares of women undertaking science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies, starting their own businesses, or holding leadership positions (Box 1). Stereotyping also often affects ethnic minority groups or immigrants, with individuals assigned the expected capacities or behaviours of the group they belong to. While in 2013 58% of students that graduated from a higher education institution with a bachelor’s degree were women (OECD, 2015d), women are less likely to choose scientific and technological fields of study: only 31% of bachelor’s degrees awarded in science and engineering in 2013 went to women.