Women In STEM Jobs: The Reality And Struggle Of Women

Women have been underrepresented in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) field in the past decades. There is no clear reason why there is a huge gap between both genders in this field. But the struggle does not only include white women; colored women also struggle to take part of this area. As a (woman) biomedical engineering student, I decided to look deeper at why this gap has created a male-dominated field and how it affects gender and racial minorities.

Computer science as an intellectual (male) activity

To understand how the gap between men and women started to appear in the STEM field, we have to take a look at history. Judith Lorber's piece "Believing is Seeing: Biology as Ideology" reveals how computer science went from a female clerical task to a male intellectual work. In the 1940s, women were hired as computer programmers because it resembled an office job. But this job demanded complex skills, such as abstract critical thinking, mathematics, and knowledge about electricity and machinery. However, once this field was attractive to men, it became more male-dominated and a male activity. By the 1960s, the field was already divided: men would take the more skill-demanded jobs (and earn more money) while women would take the less skill-demanded jobs (and earn less money). But, now there are many computer science jobs that women can take. In an article in San Jose Mercury News, Mike Cassidy says that the economy is creating far more computer science jobs but there are not as many computer science graduates to hold these positions. He is aware that women are a minority in the computer science field and believes that this is a great opportunity for women to be part of a well-paid field. As more women are called to hold these positions, this movement resembles the one during World War II when women were becoming part of the workforce. This "Rosie the Riveter moment" may be the first steps to a solution that would close the gap between men and women in STEM jobs.

Lorber, Judith. "Believing is Seeing: Biology as Ideology." Gender & Society 7.4 (1993): 568-581. Print.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/189514

Ruining girls’ development with stereotype threat

xkcd / Via xkcd.com

Another reason to explain the gender gap in the STEM field is how outside forcers influence the motivation to excel in intellectual abilities. In Jenessa Shapiro and Amy Williams’s article “The Role of Stereotype Threats in Undermining Girls’ and Women’s Performance and Interest in STEM fields,” environmental cues, such as parents and teachers, play a role in demotivating girls to pursue intellectual fields. Stereotype threat is the fear of proving a negative stereotype right. Through many studies, they proved that telling girls that they are supposed to do worse than their male peers does affect girls’ test performance and motivation. Stereotype threats can also happen in academic environments, such as being the only girl in an engineering class or interacting with someone that holds negative stereotypes. Stereotype threat does not only affect the young girl, but also the people she interacts. As an example, if a girls does poorly in a math diagnostic test, the teacher might see this evidence of the negative stereotype and treat the girl in an unfavorable manner. By reinforcing the stereotype that women are less capable of doing math, it will affect how women feel about becoming part of the STEM field. In an article in Psychological Science, studies show that girls experience more math anxiety than boys. The anxiety is linked to the negative stereotypes that little girls have been pressured to believe in. Since early development, society has been pressuring girls to become a certain way, a way that limits their intellectuality and abilities.

Shapiro, Jenessa, and Amy Williams. "The Role of Stereotype Threats in Undermining Girls’ and Women’s Performance and Interest in STEM Fields." Sex Roles 66.3-4 (2012): 175-183. Print.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11199-011-0051-0#

The “leaky pipeline” in STEM majors and careers

TEDx Talks / Via youtube.com

The gender gap in the STEM field probably starts in college. J. Clark Blickenstaff’s “Women and Science Careers: Leaky pipeline or gender filter?” proposes that there are many aspects that influence women to leak out of the STEM majors, creating a field where women are underrepresented. Since the STEM field is dominated by men, most young female students do not have a female role model to look up to. The lack of role models also sends a message that the field might be unattractive to women. Another indirect way women are discouraged to go into this field is through science textbooks. In the 1970s, science textbooks would incorporate more pictures of men doing “hands-on” projects and if a female was depicted, she would just be observing. Favoritism to male students from professors also displays how women are not welcome in the field. All of these conclusions seem to encourage women to leave STEM majors since science is mostly “for men.” One solution is not the answer to this gender gap; many solutions across the science field might have a bigger impact to encourage girls to pursue these majors. In the video, Debbie Sterling faces all the challenges that a female engineer encounters during college. She fought against the "biological" differences that make men the engineers and pressure from her professor. She didn't leak out from this male-dominated field, even though she didn't fit in. She has become quite a role model for future female engineers because through her hard work, she knocked down many stereotypes.

Blickenstaff, Jacob Clark. "Women and science careers: leaky pipeline or gender filter?" Gender & Education 17.4 (2005): 369-386. Print.

http://www.academia.edu/894566/Women_and_science_careers_Leaky_pipeline_or_gender_filter

It’s a man’s job

Society pressures women to choose stereotypical careers for them, such as education and nursing, and pressures men to choose a career in the STEM field. In Lisa DiDonato and JoNell Strough's article "Do College Students' Gender-typed Attitudes About Occupations Predict Their Real-World Decisions?" a study reveals women and men choose their majors and careers because of stereotypes. These studies also reveals a deeper understanding in the gender gap in the STEM field. For college women, attitudes about stereotypes limits them to enter into the STEM majors because they have been traditionally male-dominated. Even though women are more open to hold masculine jobs, there are many barriers that restricts women from entering to this field. This restriction leads women to hold less-paid positions and with limited benefits. Their attitude toward the STEM field is influenced by society and the media and discourages them to pursue a STEM career. In a blog post in Quintessential Careers, they describe the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing a career in a non-traditional (stereotypical) job. The article emphasizes that women can benefit from the STEM jobs because they would get paid more and have more experience. Even though both men and women hold non-traditional careers, they are both following their dreams and passions to defeat all the stereotypes that society has placed in their careers.

DiDonato, Lisa, and JoNell Strough. "Do College Students' Gender-typed Attitudes About Occupations Predict Their Real-World Decisions?" Sex Roles 68.9-10 (2013): 536-549. Print.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11199-013-0275-2

Helping minorities to become successful

After exploring the theoretical reasons why women are underrepresented in the STEM field, we also need to explore how racial minorities are included in the mix. Lisa Tsui's article "Effective Strategies to Increase Diversity in STEM Fields: A Review of the Research Literature" shows a list of methods that help the racial minorities in the STEM field to succeed in it. She focuses on education of teenagers so they can pursue a degree in STEM field. Not only women are underrepresented in the field; African American, Latino and Native American students compromise 11% of the STEM occupations. Socioeconomic, cultural, structural and institutional factors may be the reason why these students do not participate in STEM field careers. Another reason why these students are not prone to choose these careers is because of their level of education. Compared to White or Asian students, these students' level of mathematics and academics are not really high. Many actions have been taken to place these students into the college-readiness level so they can succeed in the STEM programs. Summer Bridge programs are programs for low-income and minority students to help them get ready in math, science and engineering courses for college. Pairing these students with a mentor has also shown effective results. Since they are paired with someone that may have gone through the same experiences as the student, the connection will be easy and responsive. All of these helps are just for the benefit of the students so they can succeed in the field. In an article in Diverse, increasing the diversity in STEM fields would create an outstanding number of jobs. It says that the racial gap in the STEM field might be contributed to the economic inequality that racial minorities have to encounter. Increasing the diversity in this field would not only close the racial gap in the field, but also the socioeconomic gap that these minorities have to deal with. Encouraging these minority students to become successful would have a greater impact in the future.

Tsui, Lisa. "Effective Strategies to Increase Diversity in STEM Fields: A Review of the Research Literature." The Journal of Negro Education 76.4 (2007): 555-581. Print.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/40037228

National call for diversity

NASA / Via youtube.com

Ivory Toldson’s article “Historically Black Colleges and Universities Can Promote Leadership and Excellence in STEM” show the tactics that Black universities do to make all of their STEM students stay in the program. In 2012, President Barack Obama introduced a plan to increase the number of STEM graduates. Since then, many Black universities have made it their goal to help African-Americans graduate from their STEM degree. Faculty and staff agree that diversity enhances teaching and learning and their goal is to increase the racial and ethnic diversity of their campuses. The commitment for diversity in Black universities has led to a deeper relationship between students and faculty. Students felt that they belonged on their campuses and they always felt welcomed. Creating a friendly atmosphere for these students will definitely enhance their academic skills. The video above depicts President Obama speaking about his plan to help students increase their STEM skills. Even though his plan may focus in public education from Kindergarten to 12th grade. This plan is not only a governmental one. It invites both public and private organizations to contribute to this plan because everyone can benefit from students' newly-developed STEM cells. This is a call for both diversity and equality because President Obama is asking for everyone part of the community (teachers, parents, local scientists, local public office holders) to help these students improve their science skills. If this plan does work, an environment where the students feel inspired and helped to improve their skills will be created. This environment will resemble the one from Toldson's article because by helping minority students achieve their goals and skills, they will have a better sense of belonging to their educational institution and to their community.

Toldson, Ivory A. " Historically Black Colleges and Universities Can Promote Leadership and Excellence in STEM (Editor's Commentary)." Journal of Negro Education 82.4 (2013): 359-367. Print.

http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/opinions/94461498/historically-black-colleges-universities-can-promote-leadership-excellence-stem-editors-commentary

The (failed?) American Dream

Annette Bernhardt / Via Flickr: mtumesoul

Latin Americans are one of the largest minority groups that the United States has. They are also underrepresented in the STEM field because of the immigration, language and education barriers that they have encountered. Glenda Flores’s article “Latino/as in the hard sciences: Increasing Latina/o participation in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) related fields” explains some of the reasons why Latin Americans are a minority in this field. According to Flores, there are three major explanations that describe the obstacles that Latinos face to enter the STEM field: school curriculum, structural and cultural factors. Latino students are dropping out of high school at an alarming rate and they have been barely exposed to the wonders and opportunities of the STEM field. Public education is designed for white middle-class students. Since these students are already profound in English, Latino students must first master the basics of English to excel in their education. The public education system only focuses on how students can achieve the minimum performance, rather than preparing them for college. Structural and cultural explanations to why Latinos are a minority in the field are financial constraints, discrimination in school and the workplace, lack of mentorship. After high school, Latino students are pressured to fund their college education. Some feel pressured to be part of the workforce right after high school graduation to help their family’s financial situations. There is little assistance for these students that help them with some of the college costs. These students are also pressured not to go into higher-level education because they fear the deportation of their undocumented parents. The DREAM Act is a bill that aids undocumented students that have received most of their education in the US. This bill will also try to restore the college aspirations of Latino college students. The author says that federal aid and education in Spanish could be solutions to this problem. In this YouTube video, two undocumented students are struggling to go to a higher-learning institutions but their immigration status limits them to go. From its foundation, the United States has been a country of immigrants and Latin Americans have been part of our culture and society. These DREAMers are motivated students that want to go to college, want to be part of STEM field, want to be part of what America has been missing. These students want to contribute back to the country that has opened their arms, but they just need the help from the government to do so.

Flores, Glenda M. "Latino/as in the hard sciences: Increasing Latina/o participation in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) related fields." Latino Studies, suppl. Special Issue: Latino/as in the Media 9.2-3 (2011): 327-335. Print.

http://www.palgrave-journals.com/lst/journal/v9/n2/full/lst201136a.html

Women’s slow entry into academies of science

Now that we have talked about the reasons of both gender and racial gaps in the STEM field, we need to talk about how minorities (in this case, women) have become part of the science field. Greta Noordenbos's article "Women in Academies of Sciences: From Exclusion to Exception" gives us an insight to how women have been slowly added to the academies of science. The Scientific Revolution gave women a chance to work in science with their male family members. Even though women attributed to many scientific discoveries, they were not selected to be part of these prestigious academies. Their exclusion from the academies was due to women's exclusion from higher-learning education, a small number of available seats of the academies, and the domestication of women to do feminine tasks. The number of women in these academies and universities increased after World War II and this movement might have started by progressive male scientists that believed that women had exceptional abilities in the scientific field. The author ends that women will have equal opportunities to succeed in the field when women have equal chances to become part of the academies of science. To test your knowledge about women in science and math, take this quiz. This quiz will let you know that people don't know as much about women's contributions to science in history. A reason why we may have scored low is because we had never seen these names before in a science book (except Marie Curie's name and contributions). With limited rights these women made many contributions to science and changed history at the same time.

Noordenbos, Greta. "Women in academies of sciences: From exclusion to exception." Women's Studies International Forum 25.1 (2002): 127-137. Print.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277539502002157#

African American women making history

By NASA (Great Images in NASA Description) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons / Via commons.wikimedia.org

When many people picture a 'scientist,' they would often picture a white male scientist. But, women in science have tried to change this mentality. Women in STEM field have made many accomplishments to this field, but they have not gotten much attention for it. In Dionne H. Griffin’s article “African American Women in Science, We Speak Your Names: Inspiring Our Future Scientists” the author celebrates all the achievements that African American women have done in the field. Her approach to inspire young women to choose this field is by naming the women that have made attributions to the field. Euphemia Hayes (1943, Catholic University of America), Marjorie Lee Browne (1949, University of Michigan), and Evelyn Boyd Granville (1949, Yale University) were the first African American women to earn a doctoral degrees in mathematics. In 1992, Dr. Mae C. Jemison became the first African American woman to travel to space in the Space Shuttle Endeavor. These women are not common names one hears every day, but they have started the movement of African American women into a field where they are underrepresented. Their achievements are inspiring for young women, because they have defeated the odds and have made history. Not only African American women are the only ones revolutionizing this field; other women are too! Explore this website. You will be exploring how other women have transformed science. Plus, your learning will be done in a very dynamic way. Have fun while you explore some of the female contributions to science!

Griffin, Dionne Hope. "African American women in science, we speak your names: inspiring our future scientists." Black History Bulletin 74.2 (2011): 20. Print.

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?action=interpret&id=GALE%7CA274227316&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&authCount=1

So what now? What can we do?

Portland Community College / Via youtube.com

Many people have tried to propose solutions to close the gender and racial gaps in the STEM field, but we still don’t know how effective these solutions would be in the long-run. Isabelle D. Cherney and Kaitlin L. Campbell’s article “A League of Their Own: Do Single-Sex Schools Increase Girls’ Participation in the Physical Sciences?” proposes a solution to increase women’s interest and participation in the STEM field. Single-sex schools may be an opportunity for women to develop all the skills necessary to succeed in STEM fields. It is predicted that single-sex education would be beneficial for girls because they would have a higher self-esteem, higher learning opportunities to engage in new fields, and keep the girls away from stereotype threat. The results of the study reveals that there are significant differences in academic progress and individual variables. Girls performed better in mathematics tests in single-sex education than in a coed-education. While this solution could have some consequences in the social development of both women and men, the results proved that single-sex education motivates women to perform better in mathematics, fight against stereotype threat and increase their passion for STEM-related fields. The video above show women's journeys in the STEM field. These interviews show that women are capable of succeeding in the field and yes, there are many barriers that minorities have to encounter, but these women didn't lose their motivation. Teaching girls from a young age to be motivated, to strive for their goals, to be passionate about math, to give equal opportunities of learning will definitely have an impact of in the younger female generations. It doesn't matter which solution is pursued; the impact of the solution will help women, African Americans, and Latinos to have a greater impact in the STEM field.

Cherney, Isabelle D., and Kaitlin L. Campbell. "A League of Their Own: Do Single-Sex Schools Increase Girls’ Participation in the Physical Sciences?" Sex Roles 65.9-10 (2011): 712-724. Print.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11199-011-0013-6