Racial and gender expectations and values are ingrained in our society. Western culture has historically asserted that the white male is a superior being in comparison to other races and sexes. These ideologies have affected a multitude of institutions, including the scientific field. Science tends to be taught as and thought of as objective, however, it is greatly influenced by culture; culture shapes what science focuses on and how to approach different methods and topics within experimentation. Therefore, when scientists approach experiments with a cultural bias, it provides evidence that further perpetuates certain ideologies. For example, racial and gender biases have affected the ways in which science is conducted, with the concept of the white male being emphasized as superior. This cyclical nature between culture and science perpetuates values of European superiority and the superiority of man over woman, which is prevalent in everyday life. The race and gender values that have been preserved by this cycle label women and people of color as inferior to the white male and are distinctly demonstrated in Hidden Figures.
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Hidden Figures: Race and Gender Roles 