Finding My Why
Making clear the 'why' behind anything is important to understand the full context and value. When I tell people women need support, guidance, and exposure to STEM-related fields, one appropriate follow-up question would be, "Why?"
It's a valid thing to ponder. After all, women make up over 50% of university graduates and about 50% of our workforce in America. However, just because women are an important part of the workforce does not mean women are spread evenly throughout the different industries.
I always gravitated toward the sciences and analytics. As a child, I thought I might be a great engineer or scientist and got excited at the idea of solving complex problems. However, the people nearest to me discouraged me from following that career path as I grew up. I was positioned toward more traditionally feminine roles. Ultimately, after becoming a professional in marketing, I came full circle and was able to integrate my skills into a tech company.
It's hard to wonder what could have been possible if I had been met with more encouragement and support regarding my dreams as a kid. I don't regret the direction my life has gone at all, but of course, parts of me wonder what could have been possible. This is part of what inspires me to mentor young women interested in STEM!
The History of Women & STEM
If you look at data collected about women and what industries they work in, you pick up on some obvious trends. The number of women in industries like childcare, retail, hospitality, and nursing is high. The total number of women in science, mathematics, tech, and engineering is comparatively low.
Take, for example, the findings from the 2019 census. In 2019, women made up 48% of the workforce in America. Of that 48%, only 27% of them held a job in a STEM-related field. (1) Believe it or not, this is a huge improvement looking at America's recent employment history. When the census calculated these same numbers in 1970, women made up 38% of the overall workforce, with only 8% of those women being in a STEM position. (1)
This means that in the last 50 years, the number of women in STEM has more than tripled!
There are many things to thank for this progress: programs like Chick Tech and others aimed at inclusive STEM education for children became more present, more women got formal education, and more tech and science jobs than ever are being created.
However, what we know is that women who go into the sciences post-graduation have a harder time assimilating into the culture created at many STEM companies. There are many theories as to why this might be. Lack of female colleagues to confide in, demanding workplaces that make childcare difficult, a lack of respect for women in the field, pay gaps, and systemically inconvenient schedules and workspaces that are typically geared toward men's needs.
All in all, the number of women in the sciences is trending in a great direction. As soon as more women develop in their STEM careers and begin to hold positions of authority within tech companies, the possibility for positive change grows even more.
That's why, for me, it's so important to be an example to young women of how to lead well. The next generation will be much more equipped to properly handle diversity and varying needs in the workplace if we teach these concepts young.
Amazing Women in STEM
Working for a technology company myself, I know how hard it is to find your seat at the table as a woman in the sciences. Oftentimes the "big names" in technology today are a majority male. Apart from what makes the headlines, there are so many women in STEM doing huge things for the industry.
Take Dr. Michelle Dickinson, a nanotechnology expert who is focused on creating a better experience for women in tech. Dr. Dickinson uses her company Nanogirl to empower women in STEM. Using methods like live science theater shows and hands-on workshops, Nanogirl successfully increases young women's confidence in STEM-related subjects. (2)
Or you could look at Ana Habib. Ana is the founder of Bot Latam, a consulting firm based in Mexico. Bot Latam aims to help companies that are leading the development of disruptive clean technology and aids them in introducing this technology in Latin American markets. In addition to all that great work, Ana also piloted Bot Latam's educational program, i-Bot4fun, a program that focuses on providing STEM education in childhood via teaching children the basics of robotics! (2)
These are just two of thousands of women who contribute their time and energy to enhancing the female experience in the sciences. I am proud to consider myself a part of this international community that is disrupting the way STEM is introduced to women everywhere.
Rhinestones and Robots - Combining Femininity and Science
For me, a big focus with my Rhinestones and Robots pages, as well as my platform Robots and Rhinestones (#STEM4UandMe), is the idea that you do not have to fit a certain archetype or look to perform well in the sciences. Due to the sciences being heavily saturated with men for so long, it's natural that women became conditioned not to see themselves as fitting the tech archetype. My goal is to dismantle the idea that a person needs to fit an archetype at all. I mean, look at me! I am a marketing tech wizard, STEM mentor, and plus-size pageant girly girl… all at the same time!
Leading by example is an important way I can show women around me that there is no 'template' they need to fit to follow their dreams. If they set their minds to it, then they can do it, regardless of where they come from or how they like to dress. Breaking that arbitrary barrier of "looking the part" is only the first step.
Another important issue I address using my platform is making the sciences more approachable and accessible for young women. Unfortunately, due to our traditional binary gendered upbringing, a lot of women will be steered away from the sciences.
This doesn't always mean someone close to them is explicitly steering them away - sometimes, it's the subliminal messages girls receive as children that start this process. Toys that encourage logical and spatial reasoning are marketed toward boys, and toys that encourage societal role-playing and emotional awareness are marketed toward girls.
This division will increase as time moves forward if the adults and educators in kids' lives do not take conscious steps to challenge gender stereotypes. A great representation of this is the Girl Scouts vs. the Boy Scouts. On the surface, these programs are meant to look similar. Actually, how the girl scouts operate is totally different from how the boy scouts do. The Boy Scouts were first created in 1910 by General Baden Powell, who wanted "to make boys hardy, self-reliant, and resourceful." (3)
Shortly after, in 1912, Juliette Gordon Low would create the framework for the Girl Scouts, following her dream of giving the world "something for all the girls." (4) Though both organizations had similar goals, they operated differently.
In Boy Scouts, children will participate in skill-based challenges, like navigating and walking with a compass, bandaging with common items like neckerchiefs, successfully pitching tents, and tying different kinds of knots. (4) Additionally, the Boy Scouts allow for some "high adventure" activities that Girl Scout troops may not.
Historically in Girl Scouts, girls participate in learning social skills, such as how to deal with bullying, how to create a letter-writing campaign, how to make smart shopping decisions, and financial literacy via the cookie selling program. (4) These are great skills for girls to learn, but there's a clear divide.
Because of this, a historic ruling was made in 2017 to open boy scout troops to accept girls who are interested. This is a progressive move that will certainly come with some difficulty for the first young girls to navigate this recent change.
In their teens, girls may be encouraged to work as babysitters, waitresses, or secretaries. Young boys are often encouraged to take starter jobs landscaping, shoveling snow, mowing lawns, delivering mail, etc. These starter jobs build on spatial reasoning, directional awareness, and operating machinery (which are important skills in many technological roles), whereas girls' starter jobs usually involve caretaking and are dependent on emotional intelligence.
After 18 years of being grouped based on gender, a girl who is interested in pursuing STEM may arrive at her college classes feeling less equipped than her male counterparts. A boy who grew up learning how to build fires and use a compass may have a better understanding of math, physics, and chemistry than a girl who spent most of her childhood developing social skills and learning how to write letters or balance checkbooks.
Big changes in society, like allowing girls to join Boy Scouts in 2017, will certainly help these lifelong inequities. Programs focused around introducing young women to STEM are also integral to ensuring this cycle of division is broken.
By amplifying the voices of women in STEM and providing spaces for women to share their STEM experiences, I believe we will create a community for women in STEM that is long needed. That's why creating my platform and getting involved is so important to me - I take pride in knowing I am changing a whole generation of thinkers!
Shaping Tomorrow's Leaders in STEM
I hope some of the points I've talked about in this blog resonate with you. Gendered bias is so common in society, we can totally miss it if we aren't looking critically. Calling attention to these inequities, and taking steps to change them, is what I am all about!
Between my efforts with Robots and Rhinestones, my volunteer work with various robotics programs, and amplifying my platform Robots and Rhinestones (#STEM4UandMe), I believe I am helping make real change. With the added network of my amazing pageant sisters, I have a strong support system of women looking to do the same.
STEM is a worthwhile field with tons of opportunities for young women to get involved. I believe together, we can make STEM a more inclusive place to be. When we broaden the horizons of who participates in STEM, we don't just change lives; we also change technology itself. Technology is strengthened when diverse minds come together. What one person might miss, the other will pick up. The more diversity there is, the broader the skill sets are, and the more impressive the tech becomes!
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