Women are our future: our future chemists, computer programmers, environmental engineers, doctors, and the list goes on — They are natural born leaders. Women are empathetic and understand what drives people, therefore allowing them to account for a variety of perspectives. We need more women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and we need their voices. STEM is one of the fastest growing industries and this surplus of jobs is only going to grow. This is why the world needs more women in STEM. Traditionally, a male dominated field, the STEM workforce consists of only 28% of women (National Science Foundation, 2018). But why is this innovative field lacking women, when what they need are strong and capable workers?
A Woman’s Worth is more than “Woman’s Work”
According to a 2018 nationally representative, Pew Research Center survey, women in STEM face high rates of gender discrimination. Gender stereotypes and primitive expectations of “women’s work” plague educational systems, but women have the same ability to learn as men. We must challenge the erroneous idea that women don’t belong in STEM. Young girls need more women as role models as well as exposure to STEM subjects from an early age.
The National STEM Honor Society™ (NSTEM™) is part of this solution! NSTEM™ inspires students from K to Career to become future leaders in STEM through education and innovation. NSTEM™ strives to encourage young girls and boys to pursue their interests in STEM through discovery and Project-based learning. It reinforces the idea that anyone can excel in STEM fields and, by doing so, fights the stereotypes girls may experience in their primary education. We envision a future where girls can confidently say, “I’m going to be the next Maxine Cain, or I will major in a STEM subject, and I want to find new ingenious stem-cell research!” We want a future where women inspire the future generation of young girls to join the wonderful world of STEM.
Putting the Femme in STEM
Imagine a brighter future with even more innovative minds. Then imagine a future without gender discrimination, where female leaders can truly use their voices to inspire. This requires better representation of women in STEM, which is why it is so crucial to support the young women that are interested. Women are generally more inclusive, meaning they accept people of all backgrounds (Turban, Wu, Zhang, 2019). This ushers in the creativity of different people who think in various ways, exchanging their diverse ideas.
Having more women involved in building solutions, improves solutions with the addition of their perspectives. By including more women in STEM; teams become stronger, more cohesive, and willing to solve problems using other methods. More women in STEM also gives young girls role models and the confidence to pursue their interests in STEM. Lets spark a new generation of rocket scientists, astronomers, mechanical engineers, and physicists. The world could use a lot more femme in STEM!
Written by Anushka Levaku
Resources:
- “Chapter 3: Science and Engineering Labor Force.” NSF, Jan. 2018, nsf.gov/statistics/2018/nsb20181/report/sections/science-and-engineering-labor-force/women-and-minorities-in-the-s-e-workforce.
- Funk, Cary, and Kim Parker. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity.” Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project, 21 Aug. 2020, www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/01/09/women-and-men-in-stem-often-at-odds-over-workplace-equity/.
- Turban, Stephen, et al. “Research: When Gender Diversity Makes Firms More Productive.” Harvard Business Review, 12 Feb. 2019, hbr.org/2019/02/research-when-gender-diversity-makes-firms-more-productive.
