Women in STEM

S.T.E.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. According to the U.S. Department of Education, only 16% of high school students are interested in STEM careers and have proven a proficiency in mathematics. The STEM education is a good way to learn things needed for future careers, but the careers that are most popular have been, for the most part, dominated by men.

According to The Atlantic, “Though their numbers are growing, only 27% of all students taking the AP Computer Science exam in the United States are female.” A possible reason for this would be that not many women around the world have the opportunity to have a STEM education.

While the opportunities are there for some – Stoet and Geary found that” girls performed about as well or better than boys did on science in most countries, and in almost all countries, girls would have been capable of college-level science and math classes if they had enrolled in them” – young women are not taking advantage of those opportunities.

To encourage more women to enter STEM professions, there are gender-specific scholarships available and businesses are recruiting. While times are changing, however, there are still several biases against women in these types of careers and the changes are coming gradually.