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MAKING A CHANGE IN STEM
Women Making Themselves Known in STEM industries by Jacklyn DiMatteo, People Editor and Victoria Escamilla, Carmesi Editor
O
ver the past 100 or so years, women besides science reflected in the United States have taken a part in STEM fields; it takes place at PRHS as well, for example the goes back to Marie Sklodowska- engineering and robotics classes have a Curie, the first female to win a Nobel Peace ratio of 101 boys to 24 girls. Another field is Prize, in 1903, and the first person to win the mathematics when two years ago, in 2017, prize twice, in 1911, for her work in physics there were ten girls to receive a math cord and and chemistry. There’s also women like last year, in 2018, only five graduating Priya Balasubramaniam, an engineer girls received a math cord. When it and now vice president of technologies comes to a global scale, women and iPhone operations at Apple. are only 28.8 percent in the Throughout the years, women have scientific research area had to overcome struggles to get as Women in Science, to the point where they are today. Technology, Engineering, The overall number of women and Mathematics earning bachelor degrees from all (STEM) article stated STEM fields in the United States is in 2014. However, 35.1 percent with a slight decrease women across the world as higher degrees are earned are starting to represent Jayden Steaffens themselves more and add with a master’s degree holding a 32.7 percent and a PhD being a 34.4 percent up in numbers. In 2015, women in according to Women in Science, Technology, the European Union represented 42.2 Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) article percent in the sciences, mathematics, and from 2014. The highest section of STEM that technological, fields, and with a 20 percent women tend to get a degree from in the increase of female scientist and engineers United States are the life sciences with a in the European Union since 2007. In India, 59.0 percent. This percent of women earning 50.1 percent of undergraduate degrees are degrees in all STEM fields in the United States obtained by females. It’s similar for earning is about twenty percent less than when it a degree for computers, as 47.7 percent are compares to other countries. females. However, the same trend in the United “I think that there has been a stigma in States is reflected at PRHS where the science the past against women in STEM fields, but field has a much greater involvement of I think through all the things women have women earning the science cord than in accomplished in science and technology the other fields. In 2017, there were 25 girls that the idea of women “not belonging” earned the science cord which resulted in 54 in those fields is really changing. Their percent of females in the graduating class accomplishment is opening new doors for receiving the cord. This past year, in 2018, the next generation of female scientists and the graduating class earning the science inspiring young girls who have that knack for cord was about 51 percent female with 27 math and science to simply go for it,” recent out of 53 students being female. The same PRHS graduate Jadyn Steaffens said, who is underrepresentation in other STEM fields pursuing a degree in environmental sciences.
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Crimson Newsmagazine 09.28.18
Laura Santos These problems in society, including girls entering STEM fields continues at the gender wage gap and the opportunity PRHS as Laura Santos, a senior, stated, “I’m to be given an education, are some factors planning to study applied physics. I want to that still affect women in STEM fields today. become a scientist and help develop new In the Girls’ Education- the facts by United technologies using science.” Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural There isn’t just a lack of women in STEM Organization, Somalia was on top of the list fields, oftentimes they can be mistreated out of ten countries with 95 percent of the at work. Men have been seen being hostile poorest females from the age of seven to towards women or find ways to isolate them. sixteen not being given the chance to get an Women have been excluded from credits to education based on data from 2013. developments in STEM fields and many have Once women do enter into STEM fields, left their jobs because of the environment the gender wage gap becomes another created by men in the workplace. It’s been barrier for women to overcome; in proven in articles like Women in Science, the article Even in High-Paying Technology, Engineering, and “THEIR in STEM Fields, Women Mathematics (STEM) from 2014 are Shortchanged by that the isolation and ACCOMPLISHMENT IS the AAUW, data was mainly male workplace collected proving OPENING NEW DOORS FOR can drive women out of that women are THE NEXT GENERATION the environment as about paid 87 percent of one third of women from what males earn in OF FEMALE SCIENTIST AND China and the United the computer and INSPIRING YOUNG GIRLS States leave their jobs in mathematical fields. STEM fields in about a year. TO SIMPLY GO FOR IT” From the same “Discrimination article, the data and sexual harassment JAYDEN STEAFFENS, GRAD revealed that women are seen as more frequent, make 82 percent of what and gender is perceived as more males make in the engineering of an impediment than an advantage field. to career success,” a 2018 study by Pew In dominantly male fields, STEM subjects Research Center said. may not seem as desirable to women, With good reason some women don’t want especially with the stigma against women to go into those fields, but they are necessary. in STEM areas. Women who go into subjects Some great achievements have been made such as science throughout the years by women, for example and technology that have major Anne Wojcicki, founder of 23andMe and Dr. achievements such as Katherine Johnson, Ellen Stofan, Chief Scientist at NASA. With the who plotted out the course for early on major many accomplishments made by women American space expeditions, can inspire over the years and the accomplishments yet young girls to dream of being an astronaut to come, the need for women in STEM areas is or marine biologist. The pathway for inspiring a cry that should not be left unheard.