Supporting Women in STEM

HEY!

My name is Carmelina Sanci and I am a secondary education biology major with a minor in environmental sustainability. I run cross country/track for TCNJ and I am very interested in ecology and am planning to do research with it.

fun fact: I am a big fan of cats and I have two (not old but old) gremlins I love more than life.

This page will focus on how current/future teachers can from inclusive spaces encouraging more women in STEM to feel more comfortable pursuing and staying in their field.

The Hidden Women of STEM

This video focused on how women in STEM can be "invisible" in the workplace. The speaker, Alexis M. Scott, known as a Triple E: Educator, Entrepreneur and Engineer, shares her experiences in her schooling and how she came to learn about the hidden women in STEM. She mentions her experience in her 7th grade biology class. She studied hard for an exam and scored a 100 but her teacher believed she cheated and was forced to retake it. Scott mentioned that women are not expected to be smart and if her intelligence was going to continuously be challenged, then why bother in the sciences? She made herself invisible and stopped doing more to stand out but did enough to get by. Scott makes it clear that she believes that other girls in schools have had similar experiences due to their unsupportive teachers.

She wraps up her video with three points she encourages women to preform to "break the curse" :

be bold: there are people out there who can challenge you, be visible so people can acknowledge you, want to be you and be where you are socially or academically.
embrace: embrace especially your passion, embrace where you are academically, and know you are not embracing someone else's passion but your own.
no fear: being invisible allows you to hide, don't be afraid, take chances and encourage others to do the same.

This idea of no longer being invisible in the classroom can encourage women in STEM follow the three points Alexis M. Scott spoke about in the classroom. When no longer invisible, women can tap into their fulll potentialhis can tie back into how it is a teachers job to provide a space where all are encouraged to learn, grow and ask questions and are not reprimanded for doing so. Future teachers, regardless of field, should implement these points to help encourage confidence and growth in the classroom.

Subconscious Deterrents for Women in STEM

Below are a few of the many deterrents, sited from an article published by AAUW, limiting women to pursue a career in STEM. As teachers, using this knowledge and how it affects these women can be useful to help end the negative stigma surrounding women in STEM.

The "Confidence" Gap

A 2020 study done through PNAS shows a direct correlation between the money earned and the confidence between STEM graduates in the different sexes. The study confirmed that cultural beliefs towards women in STEM are affecting their self esteem leading to gender disparities, lack of pay and the increase of the confidence gap in STEM workers. The confidence gap, shown above, has a direct correlation to societal issues, where women feel they don't belong in the field, leading to a less retention rate, and as seen in this study, a less pay out.

Lack of Representation

This 2022 graph, presented by STEM Women, clearly shows the lack of women in the STEM workforce. However, the percentage of women entering the field has been increasing over the years. This is still insignificant in comparison the overwhelming majority of men in the STEM field. The lack of women in the field leads to the never ending cycle of feeling discouraged for not seeing another woman in a similar situation leading to a higher drop out rate in the field. In the many articles cited on this website, the lack of representation was a repeated reason explaining low numbers of women in STEM.

Gender Inequality

This 2017 graph, presented by the Daily Bruin, gives a breakdown of the different gender proportions in the STEM work place. This graph goes hand in hand with the last graph. This graph shows a more detailed breakdown of the percentage make-up of men and women in STEM fields. While men still dominate women in these fields, the highest gender disparity is in the workforce is seen in Engineering and Computer Science. The author of the article attributes to these inequalities in the field due to a lack of role models and eventual lack of retention in th fields.

Imposter Syndrome

Imposter Syndrome is one of the main discouragement of women in STEM fields. So much so that there have been studies conducted, as seen in the recent PNAS study, to know that it is prevalent in the classrooms. Imposter syndrome is the feeling of anxiety and unworthiness of the work produce despite being high-performing in external, objective ways. Dr. Pauline Clance was one of the first to study the syndrome and saw many individuals suffer from imposter syndrome which ranged across gender, race, and a huge range of work positions. The video also mentioned that there is higher increase of imposter syndrome in underrepresented communities or disadvantaged communities. In the context of women in STEM, imposter syndrome affects the persuit and retention rate for women in these fields.

Why Is Knowing This Data Important While Teaching?

The confidence gap, lack of representation, gender inequality and imposter syndrome are just a few of the many causes of the low rates of women pursuing STEM fields. Being aware of these deterrents as future teachers and being proactive to change some of these societal notions can help change the mind of one woman in a classroom who is on the fence of pursuing a career in a STEM field. As seen in the bottom of this page, encouragement and enthusiasm is one step of many to help improve classroom dynamic surrounding the negative stigma towards these women. This can be incorporated in classrooms not though a lesson plan specifically but through subconscious or conscious acts, through uplifting and encouragement of women and their future endeavors.

This can be tied into a lesson as not necessarily focusing on the negatives of retention rates of women in STEM but encourage women, especially POC, some of the many contributions these women have made and encourage students to do research on one of these women and show some of the role models future women in STEM can relate to and be inspired by.

POC Women in STEM

When there were a fine number of women in STEM fields, there are even fewer women who identify as a person of color (POC) pursuing this field. According to Maryville University's article, the National Center for Education Statistics conducted a study in 2015 and concluded that only 10% of women of color (Asian, Black and Latina) attended and completed higher STEM education. This article, as expressed time and time again, credited the lack of representation and underpayment for women in STEM as one of the main factors for staying in the field but acknowledge the confidence gap as a barrier for women to even begin the career.

So How Do We Encourage Future Women in STEM?

Encouraging future women in STEM to pursue the field can help remove some negative stigma surrounding the field. Maria Garza, a research assistant and PhD student, writes an article highlighting subtle acts any STEM teacher can take to help encourage their students.

Respond with Encouragement

Telling a woman it is possible to pursue this goal is one fundamental step into helping her believe she can. Through society, she has been told she is not "cut-out" to pursue a carrer in STEM. With support, she may begin to believe she deserves her position knowing a teacher is supporting her.

Role Models in STEM

A young student will need more than just encouragement to help her believe she can achieve this goal. Introducing the student to a role model, or someone who has been in her position and shared similiar expierences can help make the connection that this is, in fact, possible.

Hands on Experience

In order for a student to get a sense of the field, hands on experience can be one way to experiment what they can expect in their fields. Leading them into directions such as after-school clubs or encourage her to apply for internships in an interested field to help bridge possibility to reality.

Contributions and Impact

As stated by Maria Garza, there is a bias surrounding careers of medicine and politics and how those careers will solely have an impact on society and the community. While it is true that these two carrers will impact the community, they are not the only contributers. Any STEM career will impact the community and help society grow.

Educational Resources

Scholarships for High School

Women in Science New Jersey High School STEM provides an annual scholarship for current high school juniors and seniors interested in pursuing STEM in the future.
Education Loan Finance offers scholarships for women who are facing challenges covering the cost of pursuing a degree in the STEM fields. Its website can use used to help minimize the costs in order to make their dream a reality.

Internships for High School

STEM Programs for Women and Girls is a nationwide directory of STEM programs for both women and young girls. There is a drop-down menu with opportunities ranging from undergrad internships to summer camp to research programs and beyond.
Girls That Work offers internships for both high school and college students in STEM fields. These internships can be remote or in person and encourage women to become more invested in their passion.

Resources for Teachers

Vivify was created by two women aerospace engineers turned educators who share lesson plans and projects for both middle school and high school classrooms.

Dr. Tiera Tanksley, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder writes an article on the importance of learning from Women of Color Educators. She shares her story of how she too was pushed out of the STEM field and wishes to change that for other young women out there through homeplace pedagogies. She encourages teachers to learn more about these race-conscious and justice-oriented spaces for students of all kinds in classrooms.

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