Women In STEM Education And Work
Women have been underrepresented in STEM fields even after the 19th and 20th centuries when women’s rights were fought for. Most areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are still heavily male-dominated, and the stereotypes and bias that exist about women perpetuate inequalities in our society. Nevertheless, now in the 21st century with activists and some light shed on the issue, the amount of women participation and recognition has gotten better, especially with more women graduating from college than men and equal amounts completing high school level education. Although despite these facts, women remain a minority in STEM.
In the United States, for the past decade women earned 35 percent of the undergraduate degrees in STEM, even though they account for almost 60 percent of college graduates. Engineering and computer science are male-dominated fields, and these causes and effects apply to women in varying fields in STEM, though even so, they are not equally underrepresented. Women in different fields within STEM are affected by numerous reasons to varying degrees. Even discrepancies between different specializations within engineering experience different inequalities. This is an important issue because STEM is a leading job opportunity and a field that is growing, and women aren’t given a fair chance to be as successful as the men. There have been many women throughout history who have been a part of huge technological and scientific studies and discoveries, who have been overlooked, not credited, and not recognized as they deserve because of this inequality. A few of the major reasons as to why there are so few women in engineering include stereotype threat, implicit bias, gender bias, and environments.
There are numerous moments of women involvement in STEM in both the past and present, from Margaret Hamilton who worked on coding Apollo, to the first women in space. Margaret Hamilton, a software engineer who worked on programs that helped NASA, not only was able to help land Apollo on the moon, but was able to prevent disasters during the mission as well thanks to her calm collectiveness and intellectual ability. As she grew up, there weren’t many women scientists in the 1930s and 1940s, but that didn’t discourage her. She pursued her interests and dreams in STEM, taught herself how to work with computers and how to program, and eventually became an essential key to the space program.
Another important figure in history was Ada Lovelace, who was the first computer programmer. She collaborated with British mathematician, inventor and engineer Charles Babbage in the early 1830s when she was just 17 years old. What historians later deem as the first computer program was a complex set of instructions Lovelace wrote for their project, the Analytical Engine, a complex “super” calculator. Lovelace was an “enchantress who has thrown her magical spell around the most abstract of Sciences and has grasped it with a force which few masculine intellects . . . could have exerted over it.” - Charles Babbage. Figures like these are what break those stereotypical barriers, allowing their intellectual abilities to shine, and encourage women as generations pass by to pursue what they are capable of understanding and achieving great technological and scientific endeavors. The moments women’s rights started to be accepted did the world start to recognize their achievements, break gender inequality barriers, and make visible some of the invisible labor women do.Women in the past as well as today are examples and arguments against the stigma that women cannot perform as adequately or be worth as much as their male counterparts. It is a relevant issue today because the numbers are still low and the interest is rather dropping in fields such as computer programming (insert current stats on fields cite). Ultimately, the underrepresentation due to inequalities is a setback for women. Researchers and scholars have been noticing the drop in women who study STEM-related topics in college.
The world has noticed an increase in women involvement when it comes to studies and discoveries. There is intelligence they have to offer and stereotypes, social norms, and upheld standards set women back, even psychologically. A growth mindset is needed, which is an intelligence that can be developed that calls attention to these issues exist and can empower oneself and others rather than one who believes that one is born with or without intelligence and can or cannot achieve things because of who they are. Workplaces are biased in choosing workers based on qualities each gender stereotypically has, such as what is considered “manly” positions of power or the “caretaker.” Not only should people embrace challenges, persist and overcome obstacles, learn, and be inspired by others, but those who are ignorant of the issue of inequality must learn and eliminate the negative stereotypes and other reasons that prevent our society from progressing. The mindset of growth and change for a better society for women in STEM is important because encountering obstacles and challenging problems is a natural occurrence in STEM related fields.When young girls and women are taught to believe they are limited and incapable of doing things based on their gender and what societal stereotypes and norms, they are more likely to lose confidence and deter away from STEM when difficulties are encountered. Negative stereotypes reinforce the fixed mindset about static intelligence and is relevant for women in STEM because of the notion that women are unable to compete with men in these fields.
The continuous perpetuation of societal standards, stereotypes, and gender bias in environments women who pursue STEM are reasons why these inequalities continue to exist. The faculty around campuses and around those who are academic mentors in people’s live influence the way one thinks of themselves and what they do after their education at any stage in life, from elementary, middle, and high school, to even college and beyond (aauw). Faculty are influential figures by introducing students to the fields of STEM and can significantly impact their experiences by positioning some majors as feminine or masculine and influencing women’s choices. Both numerical underrepresentation as well as the negative stereotypes contribute to these negative environments that pressure women to either be deterred from STEM fields or be mistreated by others for being an outsider and “lesser” than their coworkers. It is common to compare women to men as lesser in competence and intelligence, and the cultural stereotype of the scientist as objective, rational, and single-minded is consistent with the norms for men, but counter to stereotypes and prescribed norms for women. This certainly affects hiring practices as well as mindsets when it comes to wages and the gap between men and women. When it comes to test scores at a young age, these stereotypes psychologically affect people to believe and perform accordingly. These studies show how implicit bias and gender bias have a psychological effect on women at an early age, and how society upholds high standards and expectations when comparing men to women in academia. When negative stereotypes are reinforced, the statistical evidence is apparent when comparing genders within the topic of STEM, and reinforces itself, like a cycle. There have been counters to these negative statistics, but it is overwhelming due to the nurture of women in these fields who try to pursue their interests. Women face numerous inequalities compared to men, especially when it comes to the work force and their underrepresentation in the STEM fields. There are many reasons that contribute to this that fall into three categories: How social and environmental factors shape women’s achievements and interest in STEM, how environments and society affect women’s experience in STEM fields, and the continuing role of bias in limiting women’s success in education and work. The evidence found in relevant studies demonstrates that social and environmental factors contribute to the underrepresentation of women in STEM.
Women are equally capable, and statistics have shown the counter of women being “unintelligent” or “incapable” of pursuing STEM and being successful. Society fails to encourage and accept women in these fields and thus results in a decline of participation and interest, and overall lack of representation of women in STEM. There are many historical figures who have defied those societal norms, and women are now are just as capable if not more with the current technology we have; society just needs to present all women with equal opportunity now.
