The gender gap in STEM education has been a worldwide problem for decades and is still ongoing. Although schools are trying to address this problem, women remain marginal in STEM education.
For decades, men have dominated STEM education. Even though schools have made progress, women still represent a smaller percentage of individuals pursuing studies in STEM fields. Men and women generally perform similarly in STEM classes, yet female representation appears to decrease as women move higher in education.
There are many barriers for women in STEM education. One of the most crucial is the shortage of female role models. If girls don’t see prominent, successful women in STEM professions, it becomes much harder for them to imagine themselves working in the same field.
For example, junior Griffin Cotton believes that if Asian athletes were given more opportunities and there were more Asian role models, he would have more confidence to pursue his dreams of an NFL career. “I wish there were more Asian role models so I would be able to have more confidence in myself to pursue a NFL career,” Cotton said.
Another barrier for women pursuing STEM education is the lack of confidence. With limited female leaders in STEM fields, girls have less confidence to pursue these fields. Society’s expectations can decrease girls’ confidence, as Pygmalion says: when people are expected to do bad, they perform worse, while those expecting success tend to shine.
Andy Tang took many STEM classes at Pleasant Valley and is now a freshman at University of Michigan, he believes men are in STEM fields more than women because of the expectations of society. “Computer science is typically viewed as a male dominated career. Guys are stereotypically known to like computers, video games and tech, which is why guys are more drawn to STEM classes than girls,” Tang explained.
In an effort to correct the gender gaps within STEM education, some schools created girl-only STEM classes in an effort to avoid the pressure of competition with boys. Other schools have been designing courses, changing environments and learning targets to be more welcoming for women. Schools have also connected young girls with successful women in the STEM field.
In the past few years Pleasant Valley has implemented girl-only STEM clubs in order to reduce the gender gap in STEM education. “Women in STEM club is a student run organization which focuses on giving young women leadership opportunities and getting them engaged in STEM activities. We also talk to women who are successful in their STEM field to get their perspective on going into their field,” teacher Kirstin Oppel said.
The number of women pursuing STEM education has increased, but gender gaps are still quite noticeable. In 2022, only 35% of students pursuing STEM education were women, and that number only dropped in 2023: 28%.
While schools continue to try minimizing gender gaps within STEM education, it will take many more contributions from governments, industries and surrounding role models. It is important to encourage girls at a young age and get them interested in STEM fields, providing young women with the confidence, tools and support that they need to succeed.
