By Mia Hanuska
Are you a woman who enjoys math, engineering, computer science and especially loves proving men wrong? Look no further than STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics—where men almost always underestimate, harass, and outnumber you! But hey, at least you can find comfort in knowing that there’s a high chance you outscore them? Women comprise a mere 24% of STEM workers in the United States, despite consisting of 48% of the US workforce. A major contributing factor to this gap between men and women are the countless barriers women face in pursuing STEM, beginning at stages as young as elementary school.
By the second grade, children already have stereotyped math as a “masculine” subject, and considerable mindset differences between girls and boys emerge, despite the lack of a performance gap in mathematics at this age. As children progress through their educational pathways, attitudes toward gendered subjects tend to become flexible, although “masculine” careers maintain a higher status than “feminine” careers. This directly affects the attitudes of young girls towards STEM and often damages their math performance as well. Girls with growth mindsets, or the belief that math ability is not an inherent skill, perform equally well as boys with the same beliefs.
Moreover, young girls become more involved with STEM when they have a proper role model to look up to. Girls with a parent employed in STEM were increasingly more likely to major and work in STEM; those with specifically a mother employed in STEM became 7 percentage points more likely to find employment in the “hard sciences.” In high school, women have an increased probability of majoring in STEM with access to a female STEM teacher. In university, women with female mentors have higher retention rates than those with male mentors and resulted in sustained levels of belonging. Clearly, having female engineering influences contribute to students’ interest in STEM fields.
Once studying STEM, women continue to face gender bias and harassment (sexual and non-sexual). Harassment is defined simply as “unwelcome conduct on the basis of [discrimination].” Women’s outcomes in STEM can be directly linked to experiencing gender harassment, while outcomes for men are influenced more by perceived climate around gender harassment. In one study of undergraduate women in biology courses, nearly 80% reported at least one experience of sexual harassment in the past year. Another study of aspiring female physicists discovered around 75% of them experienced sexual harassment. Not only can harassment lead to higher levels and long-term effects of depression, it also results in changes in self-identification, as those who are singled out are often forced to believe they cannot claim an identity in STEM. Unfortunately, harassment is not limited to the workplace. Countless anecdotes from girls in high school, even at Westmont High School, demonstrate how early gender-based harassment can begin.
Furthermore, in a study at a large, Western US university, researchers found women greatly outperformed the men in their classes with higher university-wide GPAs and were 1.5 times more likely than men to receive an A or A+ in a course. Despite this, men still were more likely to state that the top performer was male, yet identified women in life sciences “as students they study with, seek help from, [and] find knowledgeable,” although at lower proportions than reality. However, this simply shows men expect women to study at a higher level than them yet still believe they perform worse, further illustrating the underestimations of women due to sexism.
A clear reform needs to be made to correct the barriers women endure when approaching STEM. Children should be encouraged against gendered-subject stereotypes and beginning at ages as young as kindergarten should be introduced to STEM concepts and more influential role models at school. Harassment awareness is already fairly mainstream, however, stricter punishments for harassers and greater protections for women need to be enacted to discourage the behavior. Mindset shifts in who should study STEM are undoubtedly needed, by both teachers and parents alike. Creating a safer environment where women can feel comfortable learning is crucial to fixing the huge gender gap in the fields. If you’re interested in STEM, don’t fear, you’ll find a group that supports and encourages you, whether it’s a group of 3 other girls in your physics class or some great team members. Be the change we desperately need in our society—and piss off the sexist men while you’re at it.