The gap between the number of men and women working in any field related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is still considerable. As specific days such as international girls and women days have gained popularity and are used to celebrate the obstacles these women and girls have overcome. While there are more programs specifically targeting STEM and young girls, back in 2015 only 24% of women had careers in a STEM-related field. The more alarming statistic of the 24% is the lack of diversification that is calculated into that 24%, with roughly 2.9% of black women the lowest diversity percentage contributing to the overall total of women working in STEM-related fields. What steps must be taken to get more women involved in STEM and teach young girls that STEM is a viable career?
Diversity Matters:
As stated above, the sheer lack of representation among all races in the STEM field currently does not alleviate the situation for many women who are minorities to go into a career such as STEM. To shift this paradigm, more women must be empowered to pursue their dreams and female leadership needs to be recognized. More importantly, all women should be recognized not only by co-workers but by others in their families/communities for becoming part of a field that has been predominately owned by men.
Mentoring:
While it is important to remember that every woman needs to be represented in STEM for their contribution, there also needs to be mentors who guide young girls into a career in a STEM-related field. There is a movement in workplaces now including employee resource groups that are designed to support and guide women in STEM-related fields to stay in their respective fields. When research was done to analyze how women felt when they were working in STEM-related fields, they often felt isolated, a minority against the overly dominant males, and wanted more effective sponsors to even stay in their current positions. Mentors would certainly help this cause, as they would be able to guide young girls and women on how to become successful and overcome adversity.
