Stubborn Stereotypes: Exploring the Gender Gap in Support for Space *

With the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ramping up efforts to return the United States to the moon, they have made concerted efforts to appeal to women, including naming the effort after the twin sister of Apollo, Artemis. Survey data from the General Social Survey indicate a persistent gap between men and women in terms of support for greater spending on space exploration. This research undertakes an exploration of the dynamics of this gender gap and the underlying attitudinal influences. I find evidence that the attitudinal foundations of support for space spending differ between men and women. For women in particular, knowledge, as measured by a science knowledge index and the number of college science classes they have taken, predicts a significant increase in spending support whereas for men, implicit attitudes regarding science in general play a larger role. This suggests that different methods may be necessary to generate greater levels of support for space among women than among men. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.