Gender imbalance in STEM fields persists

September 17, 2014 — by Karissa Dong and Eric Sze

According to forbes.com, one out of every seven engineers is a woman, and female employment in STEM jobs has not grown since 2000. In 2010, statistics indicated that 17 percent of students in university engineering programs were women.

The issue, however, isn’t so easily solved by a few motivating words or well-meaning programs.

According to forbes.com, one out of every seven engineers is a woman, and female employment in STEM jobs has not grown since 2000. In 2010, statistics indicated that 17 percent of students in university engineering programs were women.

In an attempt to level out this gender imbalance, STEM-related programs, science fairs and even universities are encouraging girls to consider careers in the math and sciences. The issue, however, isn’t so easily solved by a few motivating words or well-meaning programs.

From her youth to the age when she decides her own vocation, a woman, even today, is encouraged to keep her influence in the domestic and humanities spheres. Similarly, the STEM fields are traditionally “more fitting” for a boy than are the liberal arts. These are lifetime impacts of so many factors that go unnoticed because we accept societal customs for what they are.

In the developmental stages of childhood, a girl has the company of dolls and toy kitchens while a boy surrounds himself with Legos and plastic telescopes. It’s only natural that boys are inclined to pursue careers in STEM fields, whereas girls generally are not.

This is not to say that girls are wrong to enjoy toys like bracelet kits and dolls; on the other hand, both boys and girls should choose whatever it is that they like, given a wide spectrum of choices.

In school, girls and boys learn about famous scientists and innovators in technology. These icons are predominantly men, and the female students gain the sense that this field is not for them. In math and science, girls can only identify a few role models, like Marie Curie and Rosalind Franklin.

A gender disproportion in STEM can also be observed here at SHS, a heavily science and math-oriented school. Most math club members are male, for instance, and AP Physics classes often have many more boys than girls.

Historically, women retained domestic roles while men took to entrepreneurship and intellectual work beyond the threshold of the home. We’ve obviously come a long way from this reality. On Aug. 12, Maryam Mirzakhani became the first woman to win the Fields Medal, a prestigious prize in mathematics.

The truth is that gender is completely irrelevant when it comes to choosing a profession and more. The notion of its importance has persisted because gender roles have been emphasized throughout history. But considering the culturally progressive era we are in, we must realize that there is no need to tie people’s genders into every aspect of their lives.

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