Gender in STEM Education
The push for increased representation of girls and women in STEM related fields is still ongoing. Equality in STEM fields is important, as it broadens the range of ideas and experiences. People with different backgrounds can share experiences and work together to help figure out complex solutions to the world’s difficult questions. Though progress has been made, there remains a startling discrepancy, which starts during the formative years of education where girls are not encouraged to go into STEM related fields.
The stereotypical image of scientists and mathematicians is a man. In studies where children drew a scientist or mathematician, girls were two times more likely to draw a man and boys almost always drew men (Berwick 2019). While it has become more socially acceptable for women to become scientists and engineers and mathematicians, there is still the concept of the “typical” person that fills these roles. In math and science textbooks, pictures that only show male students can add to these preconceived notions. By illustrating examples of diverse scientists and mathematicians, past ideas of who that typical person is can be questioned.
Inherent biases can be found in early math classes where students are first introduced to math anxiety, which can leave a lasting impact, especially if female students witness a teacher of the same gender expressing discomfort and fear towards mathematics. There are other educational changes that can benefit everyone in the classroom; these include focusing on hard work and not intelligence and also moving away from multiple choice in favor of short answer questions (Berwick 2019). Even small things like word choice can impact someone’s perspective, like constantly saying “math is hard.” The student may start to believe it, even if they understand the mathematical concepts. Encouraging everyone in the class to talk and contribute is also important. A study looked at classroom contributions between girls and boys and discovered that in the beginning of the year, girls initially contribute more than boys. However, as the year progresses, the contribution made by girls declined, while the boys remained the same (Reiss 2000). This may point to a lack of encouragement for young girls to follow their interests in STEM and to speak up in the classroom.
When taking a closer look at the specific STEM fields, one can see that there are some discrepancies which start even at a young age. Girls are more likely to prefer biology and boys are more likely to prefer physics (Reiss 2000). At the college level, more women are receiving biology degrees, while few are receiving physical science or engineering degrees (Bottia 2015). Even with more women entering STEM fields, the stereotypically “harder” and more math-driven sciences are still primarily composed of male scientists. The discrepancies are still seen today, with the stereotypical ideas on which STEM field is more “appropriate” for women.
Many different studies have looked at the correlation of female STEM majors with female faculty at a college. There have been some conflicting results in these studies. Some have found positive links between the number of female STEM majors and female faculty, while others have determined that changes in the amount of female faculty do not influence whether or not female students pursue STEM interests. However, another study found that there was a positive association between the number of female faculty and the probability of a female student earning an advanced degree in a STEM field (Bottia 2015). Regardless of the college environment, the high school years cannot be dismissed. Female teachers and professors can be instrumental in reinforcing the notion that the STEM fields are not inherently masculine, and serve as role models to many students who may feel like they don’t belong in science.
Increased encouragement for girls and women to pursue interests in STEM should happen at all levels. A study supposed that the most important time to break stereotypes about who belongs in STEM were the pre-college years (Bottia 2015). It’s not just the teachers who have the responsibility to encourage their students to follow their interests. The social expectations of the community and one’s family factor into potential career decisions. There is also media and art and books, which children take in at great amounts. How do TV shows normally portray scientists? What roles does society fit women and men into? There are multiple factors that can influence someone’s ability and desire to go into a STEM field. Regardless, the community as a whole should be encouraging young children to follow their interests and career goals, whatever they might be.
Works Cited
Berwick, Carly. (2019). Keeping Girls in STEM: 3 Barriers, 3 Solutions. Edutopia. Retrieved from: https://www.edutopia.org/article/keeping-girls-stem-3-barriers-3-solutions
Bottia, Martha C., Stearns, Elizabeth, Mickelson, Roslyn A., Moller, Stephanie, and Valentino, Lauren. (2015). Growing the roots of STEM majors: Female math and science high school faculty and the participation of students in STEM. Economics of Educational Review 45: 14-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2015.01.002
Reiss, Michael J. (2000). Gender Issues in Science Lessons as Revealed by a Longitudinal Study. British Educational Research Association Conference, Cardiff University. Retrieved from: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00001599.htm
