Why is focusing on STEM careers important?
Science identity is where a student or individual finally feels like they are a scientist…It’s a lot more difficult for underrepresented minorities, women, and people of color.
Dr. Janis Bush, UTSA (source)
STEM careers have historically been male-dominated, but there are more ladies capable of performing well in STEM fields than are currently represented! A study in 2019 in the UK demonstrated that more than half of females surveyed would be interested in STEM-related careers…but 78% of them were discouraged by gender inequality. We want to encourage these ladies to pursue STEM-related careers….more advancements are produced by encouraging ALL people to follow their interests!
A study done at Cornell in 2020 found the large discrepancies as seen in the above graphs between males and females when looking at STEM-related majors in college.
An article on the study summarized the situation this way:
The results suggest that efforts to reduce gender differences in STEM outcomes need to begin much earlier in students’ educational careers. This is hard to do because of persistent cultural messages and a gender-segregated adult workforce that reinforce young men’s and women’s beliefs – whether accurate or not – about the types of occupations where they will be welcome and rewarded fairly.
“University-based programs to support students in STEM are worthwhile,” Weeden said, “but they can’t really be expected to reverse all the social and cultural influences on the plans that young men and young women form well before college.”
Check out our Homeroom resource to get plugged in to mentors and other resources as early as high school!