Last month was Women’s History Month. So naturally, my mind goes to women, embracing just how much they have done to improve society. But you know what people always stumble upon when looking at the advancements of women? The disadvantages they are constantly faced with. I was reading about the state of women in STEM, and the numbers do not lie. I may not have the corporate power to do anything about these inequalities, but I at least have the power to write about them and make sure more people understand just how annoying they are. If I have to know, so do you.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math—the main workforces for innovation. It is actually pretty eye-opening to see the data and statistics that we have on women in STEM fields. Did you know that although men and women are pretty evenly split in the total workforce, there’s a significant gap when it comes to who’s working in STEM? Only about 18% of women are in STEM occupations, compared to 29% of men. Men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college and the gender gap is large in the highest-paid jobs of the future, such as computer science and engineering. But it is not just about the numbers; it’s about the impact. When we have diverse perspectives and research in STEM, we come up with better solutions to some of the world’s most important problems. I am a big advocate for “working as a team,” and though the workforce might not completely accept it, women can help.
Research studies suggest that diverse groups that have people of different backgrounds and genders tend to generate more innovative solutions to problems than homogeneous groups. This means that embracing women in STEM workplaces helps unlock the potential for innovative products, services and ideas. Women bring a unique viewpoint to the table that can lead to breakthroughs nobody else would have thought of. It’s like having a puzzle with missing pieces; you need all of them to see the full picture.
By encouraging women to pursue STEM careers, we are tapping into a wealth of untapped talent. Who knows what discoveries and breakthroughs we are missing out on because women are not given the same opportunities as men? The bottom line is this: talent knows no gender. When we empower women to pursue their passions in STEM, we’re not just empowering them; we’re empowering the future. So why are we holding society back and stopping the full potential women have in STEM? The discoveries and breakthroughs we’ve been waiting for might just be one woman’s idea away.
I’ve got some good news and some bad news when it comes to the history of women in STEM. The good news is that women’s representation in STEM has increased dramatically since the 1970s. The bad news is that those strides have fallen flat in recent years.
The main reason for the lack of women in STEM would be gender bias throughout education and the workplace. For most of their academic careers, girls have been underestimated in their math abilities by their educators. For example, several studies showed that teachers awarded lower grades to girls for the same math work that was given to boys. The years of discouragement cause young girls to abandon their STEM ambitions, meaning these gender stereotypes are shaping their career ambitions. When girls were asked to draw a STEM worker, girls drew a man twice as often as they did a woman, and boys almost always drew a man. The results of these social factors consist of girls opting out of STEM courses at an early age and never being given the opportunity to develop their capabilities.
These stereotypes follow girls all the way through college and in the career field. Women account for 36% of STEM bachelor’s degrees, but women who enter the STEM workplace are faced with assumptions about their abilities, competence and commitment to their work based solely on their gender. In an eight-year study of STEM professionals in the US, it was found that 43% of women in the field left their full-time job within seven years of having their first child. I know what you are thinking, women leave to take care of the kids! Well, Erin Cech, sociology professor at the University of Michigan and co-author of this very study, said, “These patterns suggest a roadblock in women’s career advancement that their male colleagues do not face to the same degree. Women’s departure [from STEM] means a loss of knowledge and expertise from STEM that is disadvantageous for innovation and scientific inquiry.” Women are being held back in their professions due to barriers and biases that men do not face to the same extent. The fact that women are driven to leave their careers rather than endure continued disrespect and roadblocks is a clear indication of how women in STEM are treated.
It is time for society to face this issue head-on. We need to stop the degradation, segregation, discrimination, gender bias and everything else. I do not care what you think about men and women; if a woman is learning the same things, getting the same education, doing the same work and dedicating herself the same amount, she should get treated the same. But no, that is not the case. Women are working even harder because society has made them think that STEM is not a woman’s field; they work harder and get so much less. As a society, we need to create more supportive environments, places where we challenge stereotypes and step towards ensuring that the contributions of everyone, regardless of gender, are valued and respected.
Presley Zimmerman can be reached at [email protected]
Linda Murphy
As a follow up article, you should interview the young women who are pursuing careers in STEM and expose in detail the misogyny and unfairness they face.