Since 1901, 604 outstanding researchers have received Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Medicine. Only 19 of these researchers were women. Women make up only about 34% of the workforce in STEM fields today.
As a woman who has been in STEM education for quite a long time, I have had my fair share of experiences that almost made me quit, as well as a lot of my female classmates. The STEM gap, whether in educational or professional fields, is caused by girls’ discouragement in secondary and primary schools.
Starting off, what exactly is the STEM gap? It can be described as the discrepancy between the representation of women and BIPOC in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematical fields.
Research has found that girls and boys have the same mathematical abilities; girls assess their mathematical skills significantly lower than boys do. At the same time, these girls hold themselves to a higher standard than boys do in subjects like math and science, believing that they have to be exceptional students to succeed in these male-driven fields.
Why is this?
From the very beginning of our lives, and as we understand the world around us, we start to internalize basic truths about our surroundings, a process inherent to human development. Subtle narratives start to form when young girls enter education, particularly in STEM subjects. Young learners, regardless of their gender, learn about the achievements of notable figures in STEM subjects like Galileo, Copernicus, Einstein, and Newton – figures that are ALL predominantly male. Discoveries like these foster the impression that science belongs to men.
Historically, men have generally excelled in mathematics compared to girls. This has subconsciously built an implicit bias in us that shapes our perceptions and attitudes towards women in STEM fields. As early as elementary school, children become aware of gendered stereotypes, specifically about which courses are suitable for boys and which subjects are suitable for girls. Through this perception, young girls have become aware that the stereotypical image of a scientist is a man. As girls grow older, insecurities start to form, and they may attempt to reduce the likelihood of being judged or embarrassed by saying they are not interested or avoiding a field altogether.
Time for some science!
When looking at the average IQ, it is not fair to say that men generally have a higher IQ, but the distribution is different than girls. Multiple intelligence-related genes are located on the X chromosome, in which boys have one and girls 2. This means that the distribution of IQ for boys is wider, meaning that it spans a wider scale, meaning that they have a larger amount of geniuses, but also a larger amount of dummies. The female IQ distribution is more narrow, with girls falling in the middle, rather than a wide-spanning of all categories. This means that there are fewer girls capable of understanding higher educational topics such as STEM subjects, but it also means that there are more boys with a lower IQ than girls with a lower IQ.
All of these contributions work together to make a general assumption: math and science-related fields are “male” fields, while humanities and arts are “female” fields. This striking disparity between the numbers of men and women in science has historically been considered evidence of biologically driven gender differences in education abilities, creating a stereotype.
This stereotype creates an implicit bias in our lives: Students who lack confidence in their math and science skills are less likely to engage in tasks that require those skills and will give up more quickly. Research has found that girls develop beliefs that they cannot pursue particular occupations because they perceive them to be inappropriate for their gender. And this stereotype actually affects test scores for girls in STEM Subjects. For example, if a female student is taking a math test, she experiences extra cognitive and emotional worry related to the stereotype that girls are not good at math, which could affect her test performance.
This creates a negative feedback loop. Young girls face a multitude of challenges that hinder their pursuit of STEM fields, stemming from personal and societal expectations. When girls perceive that they have to put more effort into math and science classes, combined with the prevalence of predominantly male STEM teachers and role models and the stereotype that STEM is not suitable for girls, they become discouraged and quit altogether. This perpetuates the STEM gap: young girls internalize this belief, convince themselves that they are not capable of succeeding in STEM fields, and end up abandoning these fields. This results in a noticeable disparity in the number of female STEM learners in undergraduate programs. This further leads to a scarcity of female role models and teachers in this field, leaving girls with only predominantly male figures to look up to. Thus, the cycle continues.
Growing up, I had a very similar experience to the ones I just mentioned. I loved astronomy and science, but math was hard for me and still is. I would not say that math comes naturally to me; I have to work at it constantly. Although I pride myself on my intelligence, I sometimes feel inferior to the men in my field because of what I indirectly learned when I was growing up. I had no female role models to look up to in my field. Looking around me, everyone was male. All my science teachers were male; all my math teachers were male, even my role models: the first MAN on the moon, founding FATHERS of modern physics. You can imagine my surprise when there were no women I had to look up to. When there is no one like you in a field, you assume that that field is not for you.
What can be done to broaden the STEM gap?
- We need to encourage girls to continue pursuing STEM education
- Studies have found that when teachers and parents tell girls that their intelligence can expand with experience and learning, they do better on tests and are more likely to say that they want to continue STEM in the future.
- Another study found that by exposing girls to just a 20-minute video explaining what scientists actually do and how they contribute to society, they are more likely to consider further education in those subjects.
- Studies found that computer-generated FEMALE agents used to provide educational videos to kids (Tim and Moby, Bill Nye), increase interest in STEM subjects.
- After-school and in-school programs dedicated to dispelling stereotypes and allowing for a more inclusive learning environment, such as Girls WHo code, Black Girls Code, Million Women Mentors, TechGirlz, GirlStart, ChickTech.
- Teaching professors about the threat of stereotypes, and how to create a judge-free education zone
- Being more aware in class.
- Clarifying what is expected of students so that students can accurately judge their performance, not compared to other students in the class.
- Sponsoring seminars, lunches, clubs, social events, that help spread awareness of this problem, help integrate women into STEM, allow them to find other like-minded STEM girls.
- Counteracting Bias
- Realizing that this affects women of all ages.
- Thinking about where your own education bias comes from
- realizing what you say matters!
Works Cited
Hill, Catherine. “Why so Few? – AAUW.” Why so Few?, www.aauw.org/app/uploads/2020/03/why-so-few-research.pdf. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024.
Card, D. and Payne, A.A. (2021), HIGH SCHOOL CHOICES AND THE GENDER GAP IN STEM. Econ Inq, 59: 9-28. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecin.12934
Merayo N, Ayuso A. Analysis of barriers, supports and gender gap in the choice of STEM
studies in secondary education. Int J Technol Des Educ. 2022 Nov 2:1-28. doi:
10.1007/s10798-022-09776-9. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36341137; PMCID: PMC9628581
“The Gender Gap in Stem.” MIT Professional Education, 2 Oct. 2023, professionalprograms.mit.edu/blog/leadership/the-gender-gap-in-stem/#:~:text=Stereotyp es%3A%20Many%20individuals%20still%20associate,pursuing%20STEM%20educatio n%20and%20careers.