I’m not going to sugar coat it, being a Woman in STEM sucks. You walk into school finally expecting acceptance, only to find yourself facing a classroom of teenage boys who think they are comparable to Albert Einstein himself.
Fun times.
Now I’m not going to lie, I have been so thankful that every teacher I have had when it came to STEM in high school and college has been amazing. They were accepting, helpful, and they actually treated me like an equal. What has made this path rough? My peers! Especially, men. Honestly, what makes you think you can talk down to me because I have a vagina? What makes you think my breasts mean I can not solve a complex math equation? Or my opinions are wrong because of my menstrual cycle? Explain to me please, I am all ears.
It's not like women are new to the STEM game, there's Marie Curie who discovered radioactivity but was immediately thrown to the side by Watson and Crick, the first female astronaut Sally Kristen Ride was the first woman astronaut in 1983, even though men had been going into space 1961. It's not that woman are incapable of contributing in STEM fields, it's that they are held back by their male counterparts.
That's why we need to fight back, stop the stigma, and make a change.
I know personally that I want to be a chemical engineer, and I want to go into the fuel industry. There are some days that fellow engineering (male) counterparts balk. I don't need them to tell me what I can and can not do because of my gender. Woman are just as capable as men when it comes to intellectual thinking, you should never think that you are lesser because some guy thinks they need a boost to their self-esteem. You need to take what they say, spit it back at them, and live with your head held high knowing that you can be who you want to be.
Ladies, if you’re looking to find a passion, don’t let men gear you towards anything you want to do. Frankly, they are just intimidated by everyone, so they look for anything about you that they can use to shut you down. Next time you find yourself in the situation where someone is trying to make themselves seem smarter by saying big words or throwing out big concepts, ask them to explain it. I guarantee they will crumble and they will end up being the one who becomes intimidated. Don’t confuse actual smart people with people who sound smart.
There’s no limit to what you can do, but you need to be ready to stick your heels down into the dirt, and not let anyone tell you differently. Your sex does not imply your worth, your skills, or your potential. You need to follow the passion you want for yourself and not the passion that others set for those around you.
If you are ever told by a guy that you shouldn't be a chemist, an engineer, or a computer scientist, just ask him a simple question,