A gap STEM: Women are less inclined to pursue jobs in this field

I’ve always been a lover of all things STEM, ─ science, technology, engineering and math ─ whether it was going to a male-dominated science summer camp throughout elementary school or constructing expansive forts as a kid. 

Growing up, I was always aware of the lack of female-counterparts, which isn’t a coincidence. Women have long been discriminated against in the workplace, especially those that have consisted dominantly of males throughout time. 

According to the website Catalyst, averaged across regions, women made up less than a third of those employed in scientific research and development in 2016. This lack of women researching for these jobs isn’t accidental. 

Almost all of the “well known” scientists ─ whether we’re talking Einstein or Newton ─ are male. I mean, come on, America has yet to have a female president or even vice president ─ it’s 2020 people. 

Up until this year, no woman scientist without a male collaborator had won the Nobel Peace Prize — an annual award for those who have done excellent work politically or scientifically. 

That changed when Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Dounda came up with CRISPR-Cas9: a method that can be used to alter plant, animal and microorganism DNA. According to The Washington Post, they were awarded their prize in chemistry because their discovery could one day cure inherited diseases.

These two female scientists’ win is a massive step in the right direction for women involved in STEM. Because of the dark history of discrimination towards women in the workplace ─ in any field of work, not just STEM ─ some women may feel less inclined towards moving into a career like this. But, these two women receiving the prize have the potential to change that. 

I think women should be able to collectively agree that male dominance in the workplace is scaring away young women from choosing majors and jobs that fall under STEM. This is because of the male superiority in the past that has carried into today’s workplace.

Whether it’s toxic masculinity making women feel like they’re less important in their workplace, or a lack of female bosses and managers, there are certainly issues that are causing this unbalanced work environment.

Now, I’m not asking for female supremacy here, but when young women see other females succeed in the way they did, the playing field slowly gets evened out. But it’s important to continue to bring awareness to workplaces of all types to ensure women continue to move towards more achievements.