Why we need to encourage more women to go into fields of STEM
If you asked my 7-year-old daughter what she wants to be when she grows up, she would quickly answer that she wants to be a teacher. If you asked my 9-year-old son what he wants to be when he grows up, he would proudly tell you that he wants to be an engineer. These answers make sense considering that my daughter loves reading books and taking care of her Bratz doll while my son enjoys looking up science experiments and making bottles explode with Mentos.
What’s so wrong about this story? After all, we need teachers as much as we need engineers. Besides, what a child wants to be when he or she is in primary school isn’t necessarily indicative of their future career choices... right?
Image Courtesy: Caroline Hernandez
Fast-forward eight more years. In 2017, the trend that started in primary school that encourages girls to go into the humanities and boys to go into engineering and mathematics has prevailed throughout high school, college, and well into the workplace. 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.
This is why it so important that we encourage more women to go into the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Fewer and fewer female students are enrolling in physics and technology classes as the years go by. So, why is it so important to encourage more women to go into STEM fields? In a country in which the average women still earns 77 cents for every dollar that a man earns, and in a country in which the majority of single parents are single mothers, getting more women into STEM could both reduce the gender wage gap and ensure that single mothers don’t have to struggle to put food on the table. Not only are there currently more jobs in STEM than in any other industry, but most of these high-tech jobs are high-paying, as well.
Can we do anything to help the gender gap in STEM? Yes, yes we can. If girls see that most of their female mentors and older female friends aren’t going into STEM, they are less likely to go into those fields themselves. Part of the reason behind this phenomenon is the stereotype threat, which states that if we are aware of a stereotype, we are more likely to act in accordance with it. In order to help our young girls to not be afraid of STEM fields such as engineering, older girls and young women need to show that we are not afraid of these fields ourselves.
Individually, we can’t change the fact girls make up a very small percentage of the engineers, and scientists shown on television and in movies. What we can do, however, is make a difference in the lives of the young girls we know personally. And one day, the young girls we help will grow up to cure diseases, write computer programs, discover the next technological advances, and ultimately change the world.
About the Author
Frances Eaton is Subsea Energy Australia's Executive Officer. Frances has over 25 years experience in a variety of leadership roles in Europe and Australia.She has provided consulting and executive development support to organisations, joint ventures and alliances engaged in strategic, HR and leadership development initiatives. Connect with her via LinkedIn.
