Women Are Underrepresented In STEM

In Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), women make up fifty- seven percent of college graduates, yet only 14.8% of the engineering workforce are women (Horting). Women are severely underrepresented in the STEM programs. Women often do not go on into STEM jobs because they are sick of the treatment they get. Women are pushed down from moment one, beginning in grade school, they had a lack of people supporting them. Without the support system that men get women are less likely to succeed. Women have to be more aggressive than men so they are taken seriously. In addition, women have to dress differently at work to avoid judgement. Some women say women in high school weren’t allowed to take certain classes because they were
One girl was forced to do her problem sets alone while the boys worked in groups. In high school, a girl was one of only three females in her physics class, and was even further shocked when the other two dropped out of the class (Pollack). The other two most likely dropped out because of the fact that they were one of three girls and felt the pressure building. Another way the peers affect women is being rude or passive aggressive, doing little things to make them feel less important. One teacher said that women were victims of misperception from peers (Pollack). Due to said misperception, women are less likely to go into STEM after graduating with a STEM degree than men (Irby). As time progresses women are still being discriminated against today, although there is a serious improvement from the past (Irby). Women are discriminated in different ways than from twenty years ago, but are still treated poorly. Do to the fact of women being constantly oppressed they lose interest in STEM because they don’t want to spend their life constantly being bullied. In addition to oppression, women are always put into the role as the helper and the male is the leader (Irby). Women are constantly pegged as the fair maiden in distress. At work women have to dress a certain way to be taken seriously and another way to be considered feminine. Women used to and sometimes still are turned down from science jobs under the pretense that women would distract the men (Irby). Although people say nothing is preventing women from going on in STEM, women face even more scrutiny from cultural and psychological factors. Peers are the most judgmental when it comes to STEM, and the ones who have the most impact. When a person says something judgmental, people are most likely to listen to what a person their age has to say, and take it to heart than they would someone older or younger. When it comes to women in STEM men and