Gender Bias in Creativity: A Process Model for Understanding the Gender Gap in Creative Achievement

Abstract

The gender gap in creative achievement, wherein women are underrepresented as high-achieving creators across domains, has far-reaching consequences for individuals and society. Current explanations of what leads to gender discrepancies in creative achievement, despite minimal differences between men and women in creative potential and ability, are incomplete. One vital factor in this process may be gender bias in the attributions of creativity given that both men and women have been found to attribute greater creativity to men. However, the antecedents and consequences of gender bias in attributions of creativity, as well as the processes by which bias impacts gender differences in creative achievement, remain unclear. This article seeks to fill this gap by presenting a model describing how the social environment shapes gender bias in attributions of creativity, how bias influences gender differences in internal and external factors related to creativity, and how these factors interact to impact gender differences in creative behavior and achievement. The proposed model promotes a dynamic, multilevel understanding of the gender gap in creative achievement and provides a strong theoretical foundation for developing interventions to promote greater creative equity.