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Female science students spend less time in the laboratory doing experiments and more time taking notes than their male classmates, a study has found.

In an experiment that monitored how undergraduates in mixed gender groups interact, more than 300 students were filmed conducting team-based exercises in laboratory sessions before the footage was reviewed by researchers.

Women spent significantly less time using lab equipment than men and more time recording experiments and taking notes, explains the recent study by academics from the University of Exeter, the Australian National University and the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, published in Frontiers in Education.

When asked about their experiences in the lab, however, “female students did not perceive spending less time using equipment, and were equally satisfied with their time in different lab activities, compared to male students”.

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