TeachingDegree.org has compiled a list of the top 10 reasons why they think women struggle in STEM. Check out their blog post here. Make sure to click on the headings for each reason for a link to an online supporting article on that blog post. Here is their list:
- Men are favored over women in college STEM programs.
- Even women succumb to biases about STEM.
- Women are less likely to be offered a STEM job.
- STEM jobs pay women less than men.
- Studies suggest that women often have less confidence than men in STEM careers.
- It’s harder for women in STEM to find a mentor.
- STEM is still a boys’ club.
- Women are more likely to quit STEM jobs.
- Stereotypes play a very significant, if unconscious, role in women’s STEM success.
- Nowhere in the world do women make up a significant portion of STEM workers.
I cannot argue with this list to a great degree (although women have nearly reached parity in most science and math fields), but the reality is I am disheartened! Even though all my research is essentially grounded in the academic literature that formulates much of this conversation, I want us to start making lists of the TOP 10 Reasons Women SUCCEED in STEM. These are valuable truths, but let’s shift to the positive… that is how we are going to empower young women to enter into and succeed specifically in technology, engineering, and computer sciences.