In honor of The UN’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
“Science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Over the past 15 years, the global community has made a lot of effort in inspiring and engaging women and girls in science. Yet women and girls continue to be excluded from participating fully in science.” United Nations
STEM is an educational program specializing in preparing young students for studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Women and girls in STEM jobs and educational spaces exist in disproportionately low rates. In the United States, female high school students made up only 15% of engineering technologies, 14.5% in computer and informational sciences, and only 9.6% in construction in construction and architecture. Despite the influx of research studies and educational interventions designed to peak the interest and participation of women and minorities in STEM, policymakers, researchers and educators have still yet to address the gender and racial disparities in this field. US institutions in particular have historically marginalized students of color, while privileging both whiteness and maleness. This “double bind” or “double disadvantage” of being both female and colored has led to the undermining of career pursuits, particularly due to the fact that current interventions have failed to recognize their intersectional experience. For instance, Black women at undergraduate and graduate levels have expressed that in their STEM learning environments they have experienced racial microaggressions, exclusion from study groups, encounters with gendered stereotypes, alienation and discrimination, and feelings of isolation. In order to pierce through the ways in which STEM has systematically discouraged young women of color from participating, and to promote more women in color in STEM education, the establishment of a healthy familial and educational support systems with the the promotion of STEM achievement and interest in one’s home is critical. These in combination with culturally relevant curriculums, the promotion of inclusive learning environments, and student support groups that foster connections within the STEM programs and departments, are all critical aspects to consider in order to successfully tackle the disproportionate representation.
Early exposure to STEM learning opportunities and female role models in the workplace, creates an opportunity for young girls to see themselves in these fields and conveys the message that women in STEM careers can achieve a work-life balance.
The most successful outreach campaigns was ‘Rosie the Riveter’ in the US, which sent women the message that it was their patriotic duty to work in factories. This campaign successfully increased the number of women in factories and other fields by 57% (20 million) between 1940 and 1944.
The City College of San Francisco reached out to their counsellors and distributed brochures, displayed posters and tear-off flyers that feature female role models, encouraging female students to participate in STEM programs.
A director of an electronics company at a high school in Colorado hosted a Three Day Intel Summer Chip Camp, that successfully gaining the interest of female students through these similar methods, resulting in the number of camp attendees being 50% female.
The experiences of women bring a different perspective that is valuable in influencing and shaping the STEM discipline. Milgram lists a few of the ways to inspire your school, business, or fellow mates to become involved in the promotion of women in STEM below:
Be a part of the change that is vital for a nation’s intersectional growth.
Be a part of the movement.
The future is female.
The absence of women from STEM education and careers affects more than the women; it is a missed opportunity for those fields.
Donna Milgram
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References
Ireland, D. T., Freeman, K. E., Winston-Proctor, C. E., DeLaine, K. D., McDonald Lowe, S., & Woodson, K. M. (2018). (Un)hidden figures: A synthesis of research examining the intersectional experiences of black women and girls in STEM education. Review of Research in Education, 42(1), 226-254. doi:10.3102/0091732X18759072
Milgram, D. (2011, November). How to recruit women and girls to the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) classroom: the absence of women from STEM education and careers affects more than the women; it is a missed opportunity for those fields. Technology and Engineering Teacher, 71(3), 4+.
United Nations. (2019). International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Retrieved from: http://www.un.org/en/events/women-and-girls-in-science-day/
April Marie Canillo 