“…A prominent example of an environment that actively promotes counterstereotypic gender roles is a womenÕs college. Indeed, womenÕs colleges are based on the premise that given the pervasiveness of gender stereotypes in individual cognition and in social institutions, a radically different environment is needed-where women (atypically) occupy the majority of leadership roles-to ensure womenÕs development in non-traditional professions (Eccles, 1994;Eccles & Jacobs, 1986;Riordan, 1994;Solnick, 1995;Tidball, 1980Tidball, , 1985Tidball & Kistiakowsky, 1976). This idea fits well with EaglyÕs social role theory that argues gender stereotypes are learned and maintained by peopleÕs observations of the unequal distribution of women and men in various social roles (Eagly & Steffen, 1984), and that these beliefs change when people notice that women occupy more counterstereotypic roles (Diekman & Eagly, 2000).…”