The Problem with Women in STEM
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Politics and Activism

The Problem with Women in STEM

Women in STEM have seemingly been making progress.

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The Problem with Women in STEM

There is no doubt that there has been an increase in the number of women in college throughout the history of the United States. In 1960, only 37.9 percent of high-school graduate women were enrolled in college (compared to 54 percent of males). The enrollment rates from 1960 to 2010 have gone from less than 40 percent to 74 percent of high-school graduate women in the U.S. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, "Females are expected to account for the majority of college students: about 11.7 million females will attend in fall 2016, compared with 8.8 million males. Also, more students are expected to attend full time than part time (an estimated 12.7 million, compared with about 7.9 million)." Women have long been making a journey, and this is seemingly a step in the right direction.

In 2013, women earned over half of all Bachelor's Degrees earned in the United States, 57.3 percent. In the same year, women also earned roughly half of all science and engineering bachelor's degrees, 50.3 percent. In these field, women mostly study biology. It is great to think that women are making progress in STEM as far as the amount of Bachelor's Degrees awarded is concerned. While these number are great to think about, there are still a few statistics that are concerning. In 2012, all minority women, combined, only earned 11.2 percent of Bachelor's Degrees, and 8.2 percent of Master's Degrees in science and engineering.

Though women have earned over half of the science and engineering Bachelor's Degrees in 2013, there is a striking drop in percentages of women actually in the STEM workforce. According to the National Girls Collaborative Project, 29% of college-educated women make up the science and engineering workforce. An alarming >1% of employed science and engineer career fields were fulfilled by minority women in 2015. So, while it is great that women are earning more STEM Bachelor's Degrees, and are making up half of the STEM workforce, the problem lies in the fact that minority women just aren't represented in these statistics.

It is noted by the National Girls Collaborative Project that once women enter post-secondary and higher education, there is a gap that begins to develop in the rate that science and engineering courses are taken. At the undergraduate level, there is an even greater gap for minority women. When I had decided to write this article, I was very happy to begin my research of women in the STEM programs and workforce after school. I was happy with myself that maybe I'd be able to uncover some great thing that would make all people realize that STEM is for women, and I was hoping to end my article with something along the lines of: "You can do it!"

But, here I am left questioning myself, wondering why I let myself believe the statistics presented to me so freely. As a woman in STEM, I can attest that the claims are true - women take about half of the seats in any given science class I take. However, as I think about what I see when I look around at the faces sitting in the seats, I can also attest that the second half of the claims are true - minority women are not represented when we say 'women in STEM'. I was talking to my friend, Emily, who also identifies as a white female, and who is also in a STEM program at our university. I asked her if she had any notable experiences, good or bad, being a woman in STEM. She said that she hasn't had any notable experiences in her classes. I agree with her, other than the occasional male in my class offering to do the 'heavy lifting' work of getting microscopes and other equipment needed.

I also asked my friend, Mel, a few questions. Mel identifies as Hispanic and Latina, who is leaning to a career path in occupational therapy (she is a biology major). when I asked her if she has had any notable experiences, good or bad, as a woman in the STEM classes, she replied with: "I actually haven't noticed any significant differences in the population in my STEM classes in terms of gender. I would say just as many girls are in my labs!" However, when I asked her if she had any experiences, good or bad, being a minority woman in STEM classes, her response was different. "In terms of minority, yes, I've always been the only Latina in most of my classes throughout my education", Mel said. I asked her an elaborative question about how that had affected her education; whether is was a negative or an empowering impact. "In elementary school, it really affected me negatively, I knew I was different than all my Caucasian best friends in all the higher programs I was in. I really went through an identity crisis because I only fit in with my Caucasian friends, but I wasn't like them. I used to see my differences as something that alienated me, but in college I learned that because of my background, I had to work that much harder to get to where I am and I am still succeeding despite the statistics. That empowers me" Her final comments on the statistics of minority women in STEM programs and the workforce were: "I think in general, minority women's rights and opportunities are not the same as those of higher privilege. I know that Latina women make like 47 cents to a [white] man's dollar".

Simply put: the statistics are once again underrepresenting minorities. the Harvard Business Review conducted a study with interviews and surveys of women scientists. This was published as The 5 Biases Pushing Women Out Of STEM by Joan C. Williams (2015). In this article, the results shown included Black, Asian, Latina, and White women. While White women do feel the biases of simply being a woman in the STEM workforce, they did not have the same reported numbers of being mistaken for custodial workers, which nearly half of the Black and Latina women studied had reported. Also, only 56% of Black women studied reported that their work environments supported each other, compared to upwards of 70-80% of Asian, Latina, and White women (79% of Latina women, 77% of White women, and 71% of Asian women surveyed said they felt this way). Also according to this study, Asian women have been faced the most with the 'motherly role' bias. When surveyed, 41% of Asian women said they felt pressured to be more motherly, and 37% reported that they have had co-workers suggest they take less hours after having children. These numbers are higher than any other race in these categories. Finally, according to this study, while roughly 64% of Asian, White, and Latina women had reported that they have had to prove themselves in terms of competence, 77% of Black women had reported the same. So, while there are certainly biases that all women will feel in the STEM workforce, it is evident that minority women certainly feel these biases on a much greater degree.

Taken from HBR: "These five major patterns of bias mainly function as implicit biases, reflecting stereotypes people may not realize they have. But we also found plenty of evidence that old-fashioned, explicit racial stereotypes are alive and well." The five major biases noted in the article are Prove-it-Again, The Tightrope, The Maternal Wall, Tug-of-War, and Isolation. It is noted that mostly Black women face the isolation bias. I think that it is alarming that while 'women as a whole' are making such great progress in STEM (considering that women are earning half of these Bachelor's Degrees), the statistics really only represent White women. Even along with the biases, that all women are feeling, White women are shown in this study to have been impacted less by these biases.

I think that another important point to note is that Mel said she had been feeling this in her classes since elementary school, and especially once she got into her higher level classes. When we have these young girls, as young as elementary school, feeling like they are having an identity crisis because they fit in intellectually, but they do not feel the same as their Caucasian female classmates, we have a problem. This is more than just 'getting girls in STEM', or signing up for the hour of code annually. These negative feelings towards the programs, if you ask me, could contribute to the disproportion of minority women in STEM. When girls are feeling this way for most of their primary, secondary, and post-secondary education careers, it can impact their confidence for their whole lives. In order to be able to successfully say that women are making progress in STEM, we need to be able to represent all American women, and as of right now, I cannot agree with the statement that women are making progress. I applaud those who have been empowered by their personal setbacks, identity crises, as well as general anxiety. I am so empowered by the stories I have read while researching this topic. I hope that within the next few years, all women can be represented in the STEM degree/workforce gender statistics. For now, I hope we can all work together as a community of women to empower those around us to be better than they were yesterday.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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