Lilian Cu
Spindler
English 1301
3 December 2015
Gender Inequality in STEM Fields Background It is no secret that girls and women are underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematic fields, even in this day and age. Even students agree with each other that girls should be more celebrated in these areas. For example, “In 1968, Caltech male students argued that nerds needed a civilizing female presence. At MIT, which had admitted women since the 1870s but treated them as a minor afterthought, feminist-era activists pushed the school to welcome more women and take their talent seriously” (Bix). One method that has been proven to recruit girls into the STEM field is exposure. For example, CalWomenTech colleges created role model posters that “ feature quotes and photos of real female role models working with authentic equipment” (Milgram). However, that is only one method. According to Carolyn Cunningham, author of Encyclopedia of Women in Today’s World, “At the college level, female students make up only 20 percent of engineering undergraduate degrees and 17 percent of computer science degrees.” It is a large gap between the number of men and women in the STEM field. In a country that claims to be the “land of the free”, we are doing a poor job of making every opportunity available for everyone. It is no wonder girls shy away from engineering classes. That is only one of the reasons why not enough girls are in the field. Another reason is that girls do not feel comfortable in the engineering classes, described by the “leaky pipeline” theory. This is when women, as well as other minorities, drop out of STEM classes because of “harassment or an unwelcoming environment” (Wallace). To combat this issue of gender inequality, schools should actively encourage girls to join the STEM field to promote diversity in the field and to help the global economy grow. Causes There are many factors in society that has led to this problem. One incident occurred a few years ago to a girl named Jordyn Simmons. She took her midterm exam for an AP computer science class and did extremely well on it. Because she was the only African-American and girl in her class, her teacher accused her of cheating (Wallace). Countless girls fear that the same thing could happen to them if they joined a STEM class. Society has also forced stereotypes onto children that girls become teachers and nurses while boys become scientists and astronauts. “The stereotypes we ingrain into our children at as early an age as four or five don't just magically disappear when they get older. Instead, those stereotypes strengthen as children grow older and continue to explore the society that continually reinforces these stereotypes” (Islam). The children learn about the stereotypes from their parents, so where do …show more content…
Schools can also involve parents, teaching them to support their daughters if she shows an interest in math or science. Others thought that mentoring programs with female mentors could prove to be helpful for the encouragement of girls in STEM (Wallace). Another alternative is to give girls certain toys at a young age. Certain toys have been shown to develop skills needed for the STEM …show more content…
"Gender Gap: Women Welcome in ‘hard Working’ Fields, but ‘genius’ Fields Are Male-dominated, Study Finds." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2015. Web. 06 Dec. 2015.
Islam, Celia. "Closing the STEM Gender Gap: Why Is It Important and What Can You Do to Help?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 Nov. 13. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
Lawrence, Deborah A., and Tina A. Mancuso. "Promoting Girls' Awareness and Interest in Engineering."Technology & Engineering Teacher 72.1 (2012): 11-16. Vocational and Career Collection. Web. 4 Dec. 2015.
Milgram, Donna. "How To Recruit Women And Girls To The Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math (STEM) Classroom."Technology & Engineering Teacher 71.3 (2011): 4-11. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Dec. 2015.
Samsa, Ashley Lauren. "Girls in STEM Fields." Girls in STEM Fields. Teaching Tolerance, 13 May 2015. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
The Importance of Female Superheroes. Dir. Christopher Bell. Perf. Christopher Bell. Youtube. TEDxColoradoSprings, 13 Nov. 2015. Web. 5 Dec. 2015.
Wallace, Christina, and Nathalie Molina Nino. "How to Get More Girls Involved in STEM." Time. Time, 7 May 2015. Web. 02 Dec.
Spindler
English 1301
3 December 2015
Gender Inequality in STEM Fields Background It is no secret that girls and women are underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematic fields, even in this day and age. Even students agree with each other that girls should be more celebrated in these areas. For example, “In 1968, Caltech male students argued that nerds needed a civilizing female presence. At MIT, which had admitted women since the 1870s but treated them as a minor afterthought, feminist-era activists pushed the school to welcome more women and take their talent seriously” (Bix). One method that has been proven to recruit girls into the STEM field is exposure. For example, CalWomenTech colleges created role model posters that “ feature quotes and photos of real female role models working with authentic equipment” (Milgram). However, that is only one method. According to Carolyn Cunningham, author of Encyclopedia of Women in Today’s World, “At the college level, female students make up only 20 percent of engineering undergraduate degrees and 17 percent of computer science degrees.” It is a large gap between the number of men and women in the STEM field. In a country that claims to be the “land of the free”, we are doing a poor job of making every opportunity available for everyone. It is no wonder girls shy away from engineering classes. That is only one of the reasons why not enough girls are in the field. Another reason is that girls do not feel comfortable in the engineering classes, described by the “leaky pipeline” theory. This is when women, as well as other minorities, drop out of STEM classes because of “harassment or an unwelcoming environment” (Wallace). To combat this issue of gender inequality, schools should actively encourage girls to join the STEM field to promote diversity in the field and to help the global economy grow. Causes There are many factors in society that has led to this problem. One incident occurred a few years ago to a girl named Jordyn Simmons. She took her midterm exam for an AP computer science class and did extremely well on it. Because she was the only African-American and girl in her class, her teacher accused her of cheating (Wallace). Countless girls fear that the same thing could happen to them if they joined a STEM class. Society has also forced stereotypes onto children that girls become teachers and nurses while boys become scientists and astronauts. “The stereotypes we ingrain into our children at as early an age as four or five don't just magically disappear when they get older. Instead, those stereotypes strengthen as children grow older and continue to explore the society that continually reinforces these stereotypes” (Islam). The children learn about the stereotypes from their parents, so where do …show more content…
Schools can also involve parents, teaching them to support their daughters if she shows an interest in math or science. Others thought that mentoring programs with female mentors could prove to be helpful for the encouragement of girls in STEM (Wallace). Another alternative is to give girls certain toys at a young age. Certain toys have been shown to develop skills needed for the STEM …show more content…
"Gender Gap: Women Welcome in ‘hard Working’ Fields, but ‘genius’ Fields Are Male-dominated, Study Finds." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2015. Web. 06 Dec. 2015.
Islam, Celia. "Closing the STEM Gender Gap: Why Is It Important and What Can You Do to Help?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 Nov. 13. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
Lawrence, Deborah A., and Tina A. Mancuso. "Promoting Girls' Awareness and Interest in Engineering."Technology & Engineering Teacher 72.1 (2012): 11-16. Vocational and Career Collection. Web. 4 Dec. 2015.
Milgram, Donna. "How To Recruit Women And Girls To The Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math (STEM) Classroom."Technology & Engineering Teacher 71.3 (2011): 4-11. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Dec. 2015.
Samsa, Ashley Lauren. "Girls in STEM Fields." Girls in STEM Fields. Teaching Tolerance, 13 May 2015. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
The Importance of Female Superheroes. Dir. Christopher Bell. Perf. Christopher Bell. Youtube. TEDxColoradoSprings, 13 Nov. 2015. Web. 5 Dec. 2015.
Wallace, Christina, and Nathalie Molina Nino. "How to Get More Girls Involved in STEM." Time. Time, 7 May 2015. Web. 02 Dec.