Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Women in STEM Fields Gaining Momentum

In recent years, there has been a lot of attention drawn on the fact that women are very underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professions. Even the women that are a part of such a work force are underpaid with respect to the males that usually have the same qualifications. This gap has been narrowing for some time now. However, it is still far from being equal.

Part of this fight for equality has been trying to get more women into STEM fields and to create interest in such fields by starting way before such careers. In the New York Times article, “Opening a Gateway for Girls to Enter the Computer Field” by Claire Miller, she discusses programs, such as Girls Who Code, have seen success in getting girls to consider such careers as a possibility. Girls Who Code is a recent program meant to try to close the gender gap between men and women in the field of technology. They offer eight-week programs that teach girls “software programming, public speaking, product development, and other skills to prepare them for jobs in the technology industry.” This is one of many groups – including Hackbright Academy, Girl Develop It, Black Girls Code and Girls Teaching Girls to Code – that are trying to create a more appealing image of computer science.



In Pink Brain, Blue Brain, Lise Elliot acknowledges a similar discrepancy between men and women and attempts to address possible causes. Ultimately, however, she believes that “they don’t add up to anything as simple as innate ability; they involve differences in interests, culture, and experience – all areas where parents and teachers can be effective in encouraging more girls to pursue these important, satisfying careers.” Through programs such as Girls Who Code, it’s trying to compensate for the interests, culture, and experiences that are somehow preventing girls from being interested in pursuing STEM careers.

Programs such as Girls Who Code fits perfectly with some of the tips Elliot suggests in order to help improve the chances of a girl sticking with science and math related fields from adolescence and carrying it on through adulthood, especially when she suggests teachers “teach about the importance of science and math in the high-paying careers.” By bringing awareness to kids early on regarding the economic realities and the essential advantages of a solid technical education for opening more career prospects, along with developing the necessary analytical and logical skills that are very highly regarded in any occupation.

While Girls Who Code is still in its infancy, it is making great progress. It went from teaching 20 girls in New York in 2012 to now accepting 160 girls in San Francisco, Detroit, and New York. They are also working on packaging its curriculum so that way community organizations and schools can teach it as well, and thus spread the message even further. Girls Who Code even hosts events for girls, such as the one it held at Google’s New York office for over 200 girls, parents, and teachers, where attendees were shown apps, future technologies Google is working on, and some of Google’s famous perks.

Whether it’s Lise Elliot in her book, or Girl Who Code, attention is being brought to the great underrepresentation of women in STEM professions and productive work is being done to remedy this gender inequality, showing promising results and a hopeful change for the future.


  
Miller, Claire. "Opening a Gateway for Girls to Enter the Computer Field." DealBook Opening a Gateway for Girls to Enter the Computer Field Comments. N.p., 2 Apr. 2013. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/opening-a-gateway-for-girls-to-enter-the-computer-field/

Elliot, Lise. Pink Brain, Blue Brain. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2009. Print.


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