It’s 2017. Surely any inequality between the genders must be gone. Sadly, this statement is not yet true, although gender parity has come a long way in the last century. One area in particular, however, remains stubbornly distant for women and girls: STEM. The fields of science, technology, engineering, and math have been historically dominated by men and much harder to break into for women.
Research studies have shown disheartening data: “only 18 percent of engineering majors in college are female." The problem continues when women enter the professional world, where “women make up half of the total U.S. college-educated workforce, but only 29 [percent] of the science and engineering workforce." The science concentration holding the highest percentage of women is chemistry, made up of 35.2 percent women. The lowest is mechanical engineering, with only 7.9 percent of engineers being women.
This issue is not limited to STEM courses or careers, and doesn’t begin once a woman enters college or the workplace. Inequality becomes clear when a girl is as young as 6 years old. According to a study conducted by Bian et. al, “at age 5, children seemed not to differentiate between boys and girls in expectations of ‘really, really smart’…by age 6, girls were prepared to lump more boys into the ‘really, really smart’ category and to steer themselves away from games intended for the ‘really, really smart.’” The researchers concluded that the “findings suggest that gendered notions of brilliance are acquired early and have an immediate effect on children’s interests.” Intelligent girls, even very young ones, receive different responses than boys of the same intellect do. Because of the “common stereotypes [that] associate high-level intellectual ability” with men, women are less likely to enter prestigious careers where they feel they wouldn’t be valued, including STEM.
So how can we change this harmful mindset and push more women towards challenging fields such as STEM? It isn’t a problem that is easily solved, and it’s something that we, as a society, need to regularly work on. It should start in homes and at schools. Parents, tell your daughters that they are brilliant. Tell them that they have the power to change the world, and tell them to never stop working for their goals, even when offered the path of least resistance. Never let them feel stupid for having a passion. Teachers, encourage your students to participate. Insist on teaching girls, even ones who view intelligence as unnecessary. Select girls with their hands up as much as you choose boys, and encourage girls to speak in class. Allow them to pursue that project, paper, or idea.
Bosses: hire women. There are qualified women waiting to be hired in every field. Make an effort to encourage gender parity at every administrative level. Managers: once women are there, don’t brush them off. Value their time, ideas, and work ethic. Don’t ignore harassment in the workplace, and listen to their statements of inequality. Promote women who deserve a promotion.
Everybody: treat women (and everyone in general) with respect all the time, including the workplace. Don’t make inappropriate comments or unwanted advances. Treat women as qualified individuals instead of secretaries. The bottom line is that we can all—including women themselves and self-proclaimed feminists—work together to make STEM fields more accessible to women.
Changing an entire view of society is challenging, and it is not something that is done overnight. But women deserve to be in fields of science and math, and we can all help to make sure they get there. Girls have the power to impact society, especially in STEM fields where discoveries are made that influence people every day. Let women into science, technology, engineering, and math. It will change the world.
