3 Ideas to Get You Started on Closing the STEM Gender Gap
I honestly thought that I had misheard the translation.
I was backstage at the SingularityU Nordic 2019 Summit in Helsinki, watching the feed of the talk being given by Fatemah Qaderyan. The 16-year-old captain of Afghanistan’s prize-winning, all-girls robotics team had just described the kidnapping and death of her father by Islamic State. A death that some of her neighbors said was her fault—because she had had the temerity to study science in a country where girls are often denied any form of education, let alone the science and engineering that Fatemah’s father had encouraged her to pursue.
Shocked, I turned to the woman sitting knee-to-knee with me on the couch. Fatemah’s guardian and I lacked a common language, but we locked eyes. Deliberately, she nodded. Their family had suffered an unimaginable loss. Perhaps because Fatemah was talented with robots.
💡 And yet Fatemah persevered. So did her teammates. So do women and girls around the world today as they pursue greater understanding of the natural world. That understanding can lead to basic science, to medicines, to the fight against climate change, to tech innovation, to cleaner energy and food and homes for all of us.
Not every woman or girl faces the threat of murder if she pursues science. Other barriers can keep us away: cultural norms, lack of opportunity, lack of money for tuition, lack of role models, lack of jobs. Even once we succeed in joining the scientific community, women can still earn less recognition for past work, lower pay, and less funding for future work. There are famous cases of this issue, like Dr. Marie Curie (see my blog post), but thousands of women across generations have positively impacted STEM—and our daily lives—without the recognition that they richly deserve.
💡 STEM may be getting better for women in several ways, but I believe that we still have a long way to go. Fortunately, I also know that many people around the world are excited at the prospect of lowering barriers to women and girls participating in science and tech. This is why I joined the Homeward Bound project: to help enhance the impact of women STEM leaders as we tackle humanity’s great challenges.
Although I’ve struggled as a brown woman in science, I’ve had quite a bit of luck. I was born in America, to an immigrant chemist father and a mother who worked in pharma and healthcare from the time she was 19. Both of my parents valued education. Both valued science. And both valued me, believed that I had potential. So did my teachers.
February 11 is the UN’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science. It’s a perfect day to ask an important question: What are some steps that we can take in order to help close the STEM gender gap? Here are three ideas to get you started with the women and girls in your life:
Be an advocate.
Whether or not you identify as a woman, you can shine a light on the accomplishments of your female colleagues and help ensure that new opportunities include them. You can learn more about how to do this in my friend and colleague Jane Finette’s excellent book, Unlocked: How Empowered Women Empower Women. As Jane says, when we lift another woman, we all rise!
Showcase inclusivity.
It’s easy to think that scientists, doctors, and other STEM workers look a particular way. That’s simply not the case. My friend and colleague Dr. Jose Morey founded Ad Astra Media to demonstrate to boys and girls of color that doctors, astronauts, vets and more look like them, too! Spoiler alert: their products are very cool.
Tell the Story of Change.
There are so many amazing stories out there about women impacting science, medicine, engineering, and more! Lost Women of Science is running a podcast series about overlooked women doctors and scientists. Just googling “stories of women in science” returns a rich trove of conversation starters. If you’re interested in being an agent of change, many communities and organizations are seeking to close the gender gap in STEM education, achievement, and innovation. I’ll do my best to keep highlighting these stories and opportunities as I encounter them!
Remember, we’re all scientists if we look at the world around us with wonder … and want to figure out how it works. By supporting women and girls in making contributions to that journey, we have the chance to harness even more creative power to change the world for the better.
About Tiffany
Dr. Tiffany Vora speaks, writes, and advises on how to harness technology to build the best possible future(s). She is an expert in biotech, health, & innovation.
For a full list of topics and ways to collaborate, visit Tiffany’s Work Together webpage.
Donate = Impact
Dr. Tiffany Vora speaks, writes, and advises on how to harness technology to build the best possible future(s). She is an expert in biotech, health, & innovation.
For a full list of topics and ways to collaborate, visit Tiffany’s Work Together webpage.
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