Luanys Rivera
Throughout the years, gender-dominated careers in STEM have become a significant issue, as STEM is also considered to be a male field, and not suitable for females. STEM, also known as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math offers multiple career opportunities and is among the most popular and largest industries. With so many opportunities in this lucrative field, the question we must ask ourselves is, how can we encourage both males and females to head into different careers in the STEM field? Since the 1970’s women were underrepresented in STEM, according to census.gov, women make up 8% of STEM workers in 1970 to 27% in 2019. Although the number of women taking part in STEM careers increased, males still dominate in the field by making up to 73% of all STEM workers. Men and women pursue quite different kinds of occupations, which is another significant distinction. As we look more closely at the sample graph on the left, it shows the percentage of women working in STEM fields from the 1970s to 2019. Women make up a smaller share of the workforce in fields like engineering (15%) and computer science (25%), although their numbers have significantly increased in those of social scientists and mathematicians. The example graph to the right demonstrates that the problem still persists in 2023, with women remaining underrepresented in fields like engineering, computer science, and more, while males still dominate in these careers. One of the main adjacent issues to the gender gap in STEM is because of the disparity in income men and women make. Econofact.org reports that fields where women are underrepresented often pay greater earnings than those where they are more prevalent. The median salary in 2019 for full-time workers in computer science was $105,000 and $100,000 for engineers, both male-dominated occupations. Whereas female dominated occupations, such as psychologists, median salary for example was $74,000 and $64,000 for biological, agricultural, and environmental science. The graph below demonstrates the disparity in earnings between men and women. But why does this gender gap yet still exist? Some of the causes are a result of stigmas and preconceptions such as the idea that women should not pursue STEM education or employment because they lack the attributes often associated with men. Because there are fewer women and men in the sector, finding role models might be challenging, as Ms.Spano a CTE program teacher stated ”I want to see someone who looks like me, to trust”. There may also be fewer opportunities for women to hold leadership positions or opportunities. How can the gender gap be closed? What has already been done? And how have these solutions effectively changed the issue? The promotion of STEM occupations among young women and the advancement of their education are some potential solutions. A good strategy to encourage young females to pursue leadership positions in their fields is through promoting female role models, and offering mentorship, education, and networking opportunities that might assist women in developing the abilities and self-assurance necessary to excel in the field. creating a better and supportive environment through promoting gender parity, exposing the wage gap, and combating gender bias. Opportunities for kids to explore STEM-related subjects, like National STEM Day on November 8th at schools, are a good approach to exposing kids to learning from an early age. These are potentially good solutions that have been made or are being made. At East High School, there are multiple offered job, mentorship, and sponsorship program opportunities for teenagers willing to explore a STEM career of their interest. Ms.Spano a CTE program teacher, had commented on the gender gap between STEM careers, “'we’re noticing why women don’t want to go into the field or aren’t attracted to it, so we are advertising or selling a program to help attract everyone”. East High School CTE teachers are taking the initiative to expose these opportunities to students both male and female. A way that they encouraged females and males to go into these opposite-gender-dominated careers is by promoting the program specifically, for example, to females where it is more male-dominated. “We didn't tell boys they couldn't go, but the way we described neuroscience is maybe for a woman to want it more”, Ms.Spano had stated, speaking about the Neuroscience program with the University of Rochester, another field male-dominated. The nursing profession is an example of the stigmas and preconceptions that exist; males should be less likely to enter this profession because they are “neither caretakers nor do they possess the masculine characteristics that are not necessary for this career”. At East High School, The Nursing Pathways program had set opened doors for students interested in healthcare professions. One of the main goals of this program was to encourage more male students to participate to find an interest in nursing, since the percentage of male nurses is extremely low, about 14% in the U.S. compared to the percentage of women nurses, which is about 86%. Ms.Spano claimed, “There are boys who have done the nursing program with the idea they want to be a doctor, we advertise the program as nursing and medical professions”...A lot of boys think that they have to be at the top, the competitive edge…”. The general significant problem that Ms.Spano cleared up was the competition between men and women in STEM careers. The purpose of this is to encourage both males and females to head into careers that share equal opportunities. “How can you make this a better place? You're creating an atmosphere instead of competitiveness” Ms.Spano adds. We can encourage females and males to head into different careers in STEM by changing the way we all think. Encouraging students from a young age and exposing them to the STEM field, is a solution to changing the stigmas and stereotypes amongst both genders.
1 Comment
Snyder
4/28/2023 07:19:33 am
I like that you addressed that both females and males have gender dispartiy in the STEM field. I didn't really think about that before. I think East trying to present the different CTE options in a way to attract students who don't normally take those class was very smart.
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