Underrepresentation Of Women In STEM

Causes of the problem: Multiple factors contribute to the underrepresentation of women and girls in the STEM fields. The factors can be categorized into following areas: Social, cultural, environmental, and bias operating at unconscious levels. Girls and women are socially labeled to believe they have a fixed amount of intelligence. Girls and women more likely to believe the stereotype, lose confidence, and disengage from STEM as a potential career when they encounter difficulties in their course work. There exists an unconscious bias that science and math are typically “male” fields while humanities and arts are primarily “female” fields, and these stereotypes further inhibit girls’ likelihood of cultivating an interest in math and science.