Females need a solid knowledge and understanding of STEM subjects, to help prepare for the global economy of the 21st Century.
STEM is the study of Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics. These subjects are stereotypical of male dominated subjects leaving the women in health sciences and the arts.
In today’s modern age, it is disappointing to still find gender bias in any facet of our society. It is even more disappointing to find it in our schools. Women are constantly combating gender bias in everyday life, and school communities are affecting the careers of women by pushing them further away from STEM subjects. Girls are afraid of their own abilities. Why have we allowed this to happen?
Gender Inequality has become
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In addition, there exists an unconscious bias that science and math are typically “male” fields, while arts and hospitalities are primarily “female” fields.
A recent experiment was conducted, on teachers to test for gender bias. The research was obtained via teachers marking tests of students who they knew. The same exam was marked again by the same teacher, but the second assessment contained no identifying characteristics; such as names.
This study found that teachers marked boys higher in maths tests than girls of the same ability. This is letting our female students down as a misconception has risen that boys are naturally better than girls, from this teacher bias.
67% of girls in primary school are less confident in there maths abilities than boys. This is extremely concerning as maths is the basis for STEM subjects and careers.
“There is a misconception that boys are better at numeracy and that’s why they’re entering these subjects,” Suggested Susan.
Dr Susan Mendez, from the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, recently wrote a paper analysing girls and boys who scored exactly the same numeracy results; out of these students, the boys were more likely to choose STEM subjects for their final schooling years; due to the moral support in their homes and schooling communities. Girls aren’t encouraged to choose STEM subjects and they are left in humanities
Science, technology, engineering, and math are the four areas of study that make up STEM. These four areas all have one thing in common: they are all dominated by men. According to Lauren C. Williams, “men outnumber women 7 to 3 in tech jobs in New York City — and nationwide.”.7 Despite this, “women now earn more bachelor’s and master’s degrees than men”.6 However, “women are a minority”.2 Women are a minority in all STEM careers. The ratio of men to women in scientific fields has never been one to one. For some unknown reason very few women are choosing to become chemists, physicists, engineers, computer technicians, or mathematicians. There are many proposed theories for why women are extremely outnumbered in these scientific
In the past females have achieved less well than boys at higher levels in the education system, then during the 1990', the girls over took boys at all levels in the education system. The percentage of females in the UK achieving two or more A-levels or equivalent has increased from 20% in 1990 to 42% in 2006. Over the same time period, the percentage of males achieving the same level increased from 18% to 33%. On the other hand, there still continues to be a large difference in the choice of subjects by males and females. Even with the national curriculum being restrictive in the lower levels, meaning both male and females do the same subjects, when they get to a-levels and degree level, both male and females still tend to choose different
51 percent of the United States is female but only 34.4 percent of doctors are women. While 90.4 percent of nurses are female (“Women in Medicine”; “Male Nurses Becoming”), the women who do become doctors earn an astounding 25 percent less than their male counterparts (Groves). These staggering figures are only a single piece in the larger overall lack of women in STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which has remained prevalent since the beginning of these fields. Although women are underrepresented in these STEM fields, this is not due to ineptitude, but instead it is a result of the force of societal stereotypes coupled with their wider range of abilities. The recent increase in women’s association with STEM seems
In a speech in February 2013 President Barak Obama said, “One of the things that I really strongly believe in is that we need to have more girls interested in math, science, and engineering. We’ve got half the population that is way underrepresented in those fields and that means that we’ve got a whole bunch of talent…not being encouraged the way they need to.” It been three years since President Obama has made that statement and the underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering and math as known as STEM majors is still a big problem today. The STEM workforce is crucial to Americas global competitiveness and groundbreaking capability. The people who work in the STEM field make up nearly half of the United
Academicians should motivate their students to take whatever subjects they want without taking into consideration the myths surrounding stem subjects. Students should be able to differentiate myths from reality because male and female brains are the same, none is superior to the other.
Over time there has been a change in gender success throughout education “coming into the late 1980’s girls were less likely than boys to obtain one or more A-levels and were less likely to go on to higher education however 1990 's there was a sudden reversal girl were doing better than boys and In 2006 10% more females were obtaining 2 or more A-levels than males (Trueman,2016)”. In today’s society feminist’s doubt that the topic in school want girls to achieve less like the model also considers that gender stereotyping may still be in society as boys are believed to fit better in the workforce than girls. The distinction between girls and boys are often sketched on sex and ideas of biology Dr Zuleyka mention that “Sex are the biological traits that societies use to assign people into the category of either male or female, whether it be through a focus on chromosomes, genitalia or some other physical ascription." (Zevallos), Gender does not depend on biological personality it is an idea that describes how societies determine and manage sex categories also determined by what an individual feels and does. Girls are more conscientious and mature while boys are seen as a liability student. A parent who spends less time reading to their son impact their son to achieve a lower grade. Many jobs tend to be dominated by one gender for example nursing which is seen as a female job. Girls do consistently better than boys at all levels and likely to get higher grades
Over 58% of boys thought they suffered from discrimination. This included the belief that teachers were more likely to criticise boys than girls Licht & Dweck argued that as a result of this criticism, boys are more likely to blame their teachers when they fail. As girls tend to have better relationships with teachers, they are more likely to accept the blame for academic failure and are therefore willing to seek help with their academic problems. Some sociologists argue that boys relationships with teachers is being affected by the increase in the number of women teachers in schools.
Most of this gender disparity starts early. As early as in grade school. Young girls are rarely motivated to take Math and Science. This can be problematic because studies show that a lack in intellectual belief can in turn inhibit intellectual growth. There is also that persistent unconscious bias that Science and Math are male fields while females tend to do well
In our schools currently, a cornucopia of gender biases is inhibiting the good education of students. Women have been trained to be ‘feminine’ ever since preschool, always being told to be less assertive and be ‘girlier’. These ideas of femininity have created the bias
Secondly, there are people who belong to the other extreme that affirm that girls outperform boys in the science of numbers. Several researches were conducted to evaluate the performance of both genders based on their grades in high school. The statistical results of a research in Wales show that 50% of boys and 51% of girls achieved grades A*-C in mathematics (Cann 1). The outcome of data displayed that girls’ abilities in this relevant field exceed those of boys. However, girls choose not to attend these mathematics-related majors. Rather they decide to concentrate in the biochemical sciences in order to be a part of the difference in the world by generating change (Weinstock par. 1). Other advocates of this approach go far beyond explaining that there are more reasons why girls choose not to devote their selves to mathematics. The participation in this particular field is affected by numerous factors such as anxiety, self-confidence and enjoyment. Females tend to have negative emotions regarding these factors and math in general. The reason behind these
The discovery of interests in school begins at a young age, “career aspirations based on individual aptitudes, interests, and values are formulated during adolescence and shape the academic choices that lead to the STEM career pipeline” (Wang 771). Girls may discover that they are interested in science or mathematics at an early age, but they are generally compared to their male counterparts, who are given more attention at a younger age to pursue careers in this field. This time frame is critical, if attention is not given and more concentration is placed, girls may lose interest or consideration in the subject, seeing that it has nothing to offer for them. Jill Bystydzienski asserts, “little attention is paid, however to girls’ engagements with engineering during early stages of decision making” (1-2). If young females were given personal interactions with a field, they can then decide if they have a further interest in the subject. With no introduction to the field in middle school or even high school, the girls do not really understand what they can do with the profession. Some may explore options on their own, and others may just bypass the opportunities that could await them, “young girls cannot possibly consider opportunities they do not know exist” (“Why STEM”). Even when interest is expressed by girls at a young age they still do not have as many resources to opportunities to learn more about the
Interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is thinning for women as they progress into higher levels. Women in grades 7-12 were surveyed to see if their interest in STEM fields were diminishing. According to Van Leuvan, this survey showed that there was a decline in interest as these girls progress through high school. Throughout middle school and junior high a love for mathematics can be developed. However, a loss of interest is present as soon as girls hit more demanding classes like calculus. Grades will highly diminished and a fear for comprehension of mathematics in the future will develope. According to the article “Women and Minorities in Engineering” a major outlook on success from students is their ability to understand calculus.
Why do these gender gaps exist? Researchers believe that cultural and social factors, as well as educational, and attitudinal factors contribute to this gap. Cultural beliefs that boys excel in math and science and that girls excel in the arts can be passed down through generations and adults who may not even realize it are acting on these beliefs (Sanders, 1997). “Subtle and unintended messages can create the idea among girls and boys that there are fields
Parents also have a vital role in influencing the career path their children choose. Children look to their parents as role models and for approval, and parents attitudes and actions will influence their children. They also take into account what job their mother has as compared to their father. In many cases, children start to associate gender with particular jobs when they are very young due to their family life(Stitt, 1988). Stereotypes, like those, are brought forth to girls everyday, ranging from the traditional female jobs to males being more intelligent than females. One example is the fact that there aren’t as many women as men in jobs such as scientists and doctors. Girls often don’t question this idea because it is reinforced by so many people. These stereotypes sometimes get adopted by girls because of this constant reinforcement. Parents have the opportunity either to invalidate these stereotypes or confirm them by their actions and words. They must reassure their children that girls can participate in anything they want, including math and science activities or courses.
Gender equity in terms of education is about the socialization of men and women and the results of this process on the life outcomes of the two genders (Husen & Postlethwaite, 1994). In the United States, the education system is required to treat males and females equally. There has been much research done to compare the genders in all areas. In the past, research has found that women fall far behind men in many areas such as math, and science, but men lag behind women in certain areas as well. Over the years, many provisions have been made with the goal of equalizing the treatment of girls and boys in public education. These improvements are proven successful as women, as well as men, are advancing in areas where they tend to lag