Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—collectively known as the STEM field—are widely male-dominated, making up 73% of the workforce, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
But what impact does the trend toward males have on local highschool girls, such as those who attend Oak Park High and other women around the world?
Studies show women are just as academically qualified for STEM careers as men, yet the number of females in the math and tech fields remains lagging.
“Despite female students actually achieving results on par with those of their male counterparts in math and science courses, many girls propel away from the science and engineering courses at the undergraduate level,” said Gabrielle Chan, an educator at The HEAD Foundation, an International Charitable Organization.
If women have the same intelligence and capabilities as men, why haven’t more gone into the field?
The answer is troubling.
External elements, such as discouraging comments from peers and male-female stereotypes, discourage capable and intelligent women from entering and pursuing the field.
Even academically-strong Oak Park High School struggles with a gender gap in STEM. For example, in the class, Intro to Computer Programming (grades 9-12), there are seven girls and 20 boys, almost three times as many boys as girls. In Digital Electronics, there are six girls and 16 boys, once again a more than 37% gender gap.
This issue is real and if you don’t believe it, walk into any high school engineering class.
Sophie Picard is one of the six girls in the Oak Park Digital Electronics class. She says, “Women are often underestimated, and walking into a class full of men can be intimidating, but that should not let women stop them from pursuing their interests.”
STEM has been on an upward curve in popularity. In the past three decades, employment in this field has grown by 79%. However, 73% of the workforce in STEM fields consists of men and 27% of women.
“The reality is that women in STEM careers bring important knowledge, skill sets, and ideas to engineering businesses, and it’s smart for companies to foster gender equality and diversity in their hiring practices,” First Citizens Bank, a service provider, wrote in an article.
The lack of women in STEM “is a multifaceted issue that starts when girls are treated growing up and is an issue when women reach the workplace. How a woman should live her life has been deeply rooted in culture and our society,” OPHS Physics and Engineering teacher Austin Lippincott wrote in an email.
From the very beginning, stereotypes and cultural standards are pushed on little girls to enforce certain conduct and control the interests they can pursue. For example, even if a little girl wants to try coding or aerodynamics, she might be discouraged by peers and mentors, who see those fields meant for boys.
“The other issue is discouragement. As women who are passionate about STEM grow up and try to pursue their interests, there are so many things knocking them down and discouraging them,” Lippincott said.
Lippincott often notices that the boys feel more empowered to answer questions in his male-dominant classes. Their voices dominate the girls. “In high school STEM classes, girls are already in the minority, and asking questions already makes them stick out all the more,” he said.
Prospects for women to excel at STEM in college are also discouraging. College is a time for discovery, change, and self-exploration. It’s a place to galvanize new ideas and incredible opportunities. However, even in higher education, the gender gap in STEM remains noticeable.
Anusha Rao, an Oak Park alumna studying computer engineering at the University of California San Diego, compares the STEM gender gap between high school and college. “I definitely see some differences and similarities between high school and college engineering classes. The biggest difference is that while the male-to-female ratio is still relatively low, class sizes are larger, meaning I see more women in my classes. While we are still a minority, creating a community is easier. There are also a lot of programs designed to get women into STEM fields that are usually male-dominated. Clubs such as the Society of Women Engineers and Women in Chemical Engineering also aid in both career opportunity and community building aspects,” Rao said.
For females interested in STEM, there are many resources to investigate, such as Girls Who Code, which helps young females interested in coding learn the dynamics of system processing. There’s also STEM like a girl, which empowers girls with knowledge and confidence in STEM.
Don’t be afraid. Go get ’em!
- United States