Diversity is essential to innovation, creation, exploration, and the expansion of knowledge, in every way possible. By introducing new and unique perspectives to any challenge, there is a greater chance of finding a solution. With diversity in thought comes diversity in ideas, and that is a significant contributor to the success of civilization. This notion pertains to the arts, to schools, and, of course, to science.
So, when a certain group of people is somehow excluded from science, it does not only harm that group of people, but the scientific community—and society—as a whole. This is why women’s inclusion in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is so important.
Historically, women have been excluded from STEM, due to the expectations that they take on the housework and childcare responsibilities rather than receive an education. Thankfully, times have changed, but not nearly enough for women to have the same opportunities in STEM as men do. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reported in 2017 that only 28% of all the world’s researchers are women. The largest reason for this, alongside lack of education for women, is that women are often taught to believe that men belong in science, not women. Despite there being no scientific evidence that women are somehow innately worse at science than men, it’s an idea that is implanted in the minds of many, causing girls to lose confidence in themselves and give up on STEM fields. The fundamental inequality that has been created in the scientific community by excluding approximately half of the population from it has not been properly addressed—the misogynistic concept that women do not belong in STEM is still prevalent throughout the world, and even in more progressive areas, not enough has been done to help women “catch up” in these fields. Studies done by Professor Greg Walton from Stanford University have suggested that the bias against women in qualitative fields is actually strong enough to affect their performance and achievement, despite them having, on average, the same abilities as men. It’s intimidating, as a woman, to enter a field dominated by men, who oftentimes will patronize, speak over, or belittle a woman’s skills—unintentionally or not. A lot of women who pursue STEM will internalize the misogyny that is shown to them through microaggressions, a lack of role models and recognition for their accomplishments, and a deficit of opportunities or support being offered.
This exclusion harms women. STEM careers are praised socially, due to the fact that they are male-dominated, meaning that they often pay well and allow for a person to be of a somewhat higher status. STEM fields also are integral to society—meaning that when one group dominates STEM, that group is also dominating society. The technology, discoveries, and innovations that come from STEM fields—and this could mean the invention of the wheel, to learning how to harness electricity, to creating smartphones, to finding a cure to a deadly disease—drive this world. Having more women in STEM fields would mean that women could have more financial and societal independence. Another facet of this is that men, unknowingly or not, solve problems for men. One example of this is many of women’s prominent health issues, such as heart attacks, being overlooked or diminished in the medical community because the research on these problems was catered toward men.
But this gender gap in STEM doesn’t just impact women. It impacts everyone. With less people—and therefore, less different perspectives—the scientific community has not reached its full potential. At all. And science is the backbone of civilization. In fact, it has been suggested that women’s involvement in STEM could be a key to economic prosperity. This is an easy issue to overlook. Most people today, at least in progressive countries, would likely say that they support there being more women in STEM fields. However, there isn’t enough push to actually make this happen, because it’s a difficult problem to solve. It’s a complex mixture of societal, cultural, and economic factors, making it hard to target and fix one particular matter. However, the possibilities of an explosion of scientific development if women are actually able to find a place in STEM fields cannot be emphasized enough. This is why it’s important to actively try to help more women become involved in STEM fields. It could be of unimaginable benefit to society.
What a great topic! You truly made an ardent defense of your position. I like the fact that you approached this issue from various perspectives, and fully explained the reasons that women ought to be encouraged to pursue STEM fields. At the same time, you were not reductive in your analysis and acknowledged that this is a highly complex issue that has many different causes. I would be interested in hearing more about what you think we can do to solve this issue. I know that Penn State and other colleges have clubs like SWE, but I don’t think that is sufficient to address the problem. I think a lot of the solutions to these problems will be shifts in culture incentivized by policy decisions. For example, I have read studies and articles that suggest that computer science is a field dominated by men because computers and video games in the last few decades have been advertised exclusively to men. I think part of it also has to do with how we treat boys and girls when they are very young. For example, I know that my favorite toys growing up were Legos, whereas girls were more likely to have dolls pushed on them as children. Overall, I enjoyed your blog thoroughly and it made me think!