Organizations Working On Closing The Gender Gaps In The STEM Field
By Aya Khalaf
October 13, 2021 · 3 minute read
Mathematics
Engineering
The Reality Of Gender Roles In The STEM Field
STEM plays a very important role in our modern world today. It gives people skills, creates critical thinkers and increases science literacy which is a huge step considering global evolution. In addition to that, gender equality plays a huge role in developing our world today and making it a better place to live in. However, there seems to be a huge gender gap when it comes to the STEM field! Despite the fact that 74% of females are interested in a STEM profession, only 24% of them actually become STEM students. While women constitute almost 50% of the labor market, there are only 28% of women in STEM fields as opposed to 72% of men.
The statistics stated previously show a gender imbalance which is often referred to as the STEM gap - since it is within the STEM field. Despite the growing emphasis on gender equality, the gender disparity in STEM fields remains an issue in the modern labor market. Women in the workplace worldwide are also underrepresented.
Some organizations in our world today are working on demolishing all the barriers getting in the way of providing a suitable environment for women to work in without being misunderstood or belittled, here are some of them:
1. National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP)
National Girls Collaborative Project works on bringing together organizations all around the United States which work on educating and encouraging young girls to pursue STEM careers.
NGCP mainly works on providing access to all sorts of resources which could enhance STEM education within girls. Such a goal is achieved by increasing the quantity and quality of resources and by developing and leveraging a network of educators.
Today, NGCP has over 33 collaboratives serving 41 states and providing over 20 million girls and 10 million boys.
2. National Math and Science Initiative (NMS)
National Math and Science Initiative is an organization that emphasizes STEM subjects and seeks to have them taught by recruiting as many science-skilled teachers as possible. The main goal for NMS is to have students foster their interest and pursue a career in the STEM field. In addition to that, NMS is aware of the way STEM subjects are taught among both genders and recognizes the importance of closing the gender gaps taking place in that field precisely.
3. Women In Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN)
WEPAN is a non-profit organization established back in 1990. “WEPAN is a catalyst for change to enhance the success of Women in Engineering in academia and the professions”. This organization aims to secure all the needed tools, practices and research allowing engineers to thrive in their workplace and expand the engineering sector to the maximum. Recognized as the leading champion in North America for leveraging research and best practices to propel the inclusion of women in the field of engineering, WEPAN advocates to fully embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion to meet the demands of today’s innovation and performance-driven business culture. To this end, WEPAN supports a network of female engineering students at over 150 campuses across the country, reaching 60 percent of the female engineering student population.
4. Million Women Mentors (MWM)
Million Women Mentors is an initiative that works on preventing girls from losing interest in the STEM field. MWM achieves that goal by finding one million women - as its name suggests - who have experience in teaching in the science field, strengthening relationships between the students and their mentors. This organization already has over 230,000 supporters who pledged to mentor those girls into pursuing a career in the STEM field. “The mission of the MWM network is to encourage girls and women to pursue, persist, and thrive in STEM careers”.
TL;DR
All these communities are doing their best in trying to give females the opportunities and chances they deserve in following their dreams giving them the green light to go out there and conquer the world, be unstoppable! Hand in hand, with cooperation and unity, we can make the world a better place with equality and justice.
Sources:
https://www.builtbyme.com/statistics-facts-women-in-stem/
https://www.talent-works.com/2020/02/women-in-stem-jody-robie-presents-the-facts/
https://www.engineeringforkids.com/about/news/2016/february/why-is-stem-education-so-important-/
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/02/stem-gender-inequality-researchers-bias/
https://craigconnects.org/2014/09/30/women-doing-stem-right/
https://www.friendsofeurope.org/events/women-in-stem/
https://ngcproject.org/about-ngcp
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About The Author
Aya is a high school rising-senior. She is a huge bookworm, spends too much money on books and is basically a school nerd. Contact her at aya@sciteens.org for article suggestions and book recommendations.
