The Past, Present and Future of Women in STEM
“The best prophet of the future is the past.” ~ Byron
Today, more women than ever before are going after their STEM passions and creating a better, stronger future. According to research conducted by the Pew Research Center, the number of people working in STEM-related jobs increased by 1.8 million between 2016 and 2019, with women accounting for 50% of that workforce (Fry, 2021). Such jobs often have an enormous impact on the future of our world, making it all the more important that women’s voices are heard across the many STEM fields.
So what can we do to increase women’s participation in STEM jobs while inspiring them to meet their fullest potential?
Before we can answer this question, we first need to take a look at how it even came to be. To shape tomorrow into a better place for women in STEM, we need a better understanding of the challenges they face today. To do this, we need to look at the history of women in STEM.
The Past: A Short History of Women in Education
If the future is our destination, then the past provides the best information for our current location. Comprehending the issue of women’s underrepresentation in STEM works in the same way. In the past, the extent of women’s education has varied depending on the region, time and culture. One thing, however, is clear: compared to men, women’s academic pursuits and intellectual freedoms have been, if not completely suppressed, consistently inhibited.
With that in mind, let’s take a short walk through the history of women’s education, particularly regarding the sciences.
- The fall of the Roman Empire during the 5th century gave rise to the beginning of the Middle Ages. During this era, education was reserved for two groups of people: privileged young men and religious devotees. The only way for women to pursue education was by entering a convent. Therefore, the earliest female intellectuals were nuns. They studied arithmetic, geometry and astronomy, and some nuns even studied herbal medication and wrote books on the natural world (Pak, 2018).
- When the Age of Enlightenment dawned, academic pursuits widened. Women from wealthy families and of noble backgrounds were often allowed to pursue diverse interests ranging from literature to physics. Some notable women, such as Émilie du Châtelet and Caroline Herschel, were celebrated for their works in mathematics and astronomy, paving the way for future women in STEM (Ferry, 2019).
- In the 19th and 20th centuries, women throughout Europe and the United States began actively campaigning for their rights to equal educational opportunities. With the opening of all-girls colleges, female scientists finally had a chance to work alongside men and obtain clear career paths (Ferry, 2019).
To learn more about some of these female trailblazers, check out our SHEroes of STEM blog post, which follows some of history’s most influential women.
The Present: Inspiring the Next Generation of Females to Pursue STEM Careers
There is no doubt that the number of women in STEM-related fields has increased since the early 1990s. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in 2009, just over 140,000 women graduated with STEM degrees. By 2016, that number grew to over 200,000 — a nearly 43% increase in just 7 years. Today, a whopping 50% of those working in STEM jobs are female. That’s more than the percentage of women in the overall workforce, currently 47% (Fry, 2021) — if only the 5th-century nuns could see us now!
Of those women pursuing STEM careers, the majority work in health-related jobs, while the percentage of females entering other mathematical, computing and engineering careers has only increased marginally (Fry, 2021). However, what educators do in their classrooms today can help these numbers continue to rise. More equal representation across STEM fields is vital, allowing each to gain necessary female perspectives and strengths. Imagine the impact women’s work will have on the environment, humanity and so much more if women’s voices are amplified. By guiding girls’ enormous dedication, empathy and creativity toward the opportunities STEM careers have to offer, educators hold the key to making this future a reality. But how can this be done?
Changing the Conversation:
By simply changing the conversations around STEM in the classroom, educators can empower more female learners to develop a passion for mathematics and the sciences. They can encourage more girls by providing:
- early exposure to STEM
- inspiration from female STEM role models
- time and resources for STEM immersion
Early Exposure to STEM:
The best way to fight for greater participation is to allow girls to explore their STEM options and interests at an early age. Roberta Rincon, a researcher at the Society of Women Engineers in Chicago, states that girls are oftentimes less confident in areas like math or science than their male counterparts. How can we combat this? Studies suggest that a learner’s decision to pursue a career in STEM can be directly impacted by family members, educators, peers, and others championing their mathematics or technology-related studies (Sáinz and Eccles, 2012). The classroom is one of the biggest environments with the potential to influence interests in STEM, and by extension, educators are the role models who can guide and support girls in this area.
Female STEM Role Models:
Educators can also provide opportunities for others to inspire learners. Female role models in STEM have been growing over the past several years. Trailblazing women, who hold prestigious positions in the STEM industry’s top companies like IBM, Microsoft and General Motors, are paving the path for girls to have successful STEM careers.
Ginni Rometty, an American business executive, is the chair, president and CEO of IBM, a Fortune 500 company that produces and sells computer hardware and software. She has been on Fortune magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business for 10 consecutive years. Amy Hood is another powerful role model. She is the current Chief Financial Officer of Microsoft and previously worked in various positions at Goldman Sachs. The CEO of the General Motors Company is also held by an incredibly successful woman: Mary Barra. She has held the position since January of 2014 and is the first female CEO of a major global automaker. These women are more than just successful businesswomen. They represent the potential and hope for females as role models in esteemed executive and board positions in multimillion-dollar companies in the STEM field.
These female role models are making a difference, as evidenced in girls' perceptions of scientists. In an article published by Edutopia, Youki Terada touches upon embedded stereotypes in STEM professions and how they impact girls.
Between 1966 and 1977, over 5,000 drawings of scientists made by girls were collected. Only 28 (0.56%) of them depicted female scientists. She states that over 80 similar studies with more than 20,000 participants were conducted since then. And by 2016, a whopping 58% of scientists drawn by girls were females.
This gives us hope that by ushering in a growth mindset and an open, experimental atmosphere, educators can create a safe place for girls to explore all facets of STEM from an early age, allowing more space and time for growth. The more female STEM role models girls see, the more likely they are to consider future STEM career or education options.
Help continue to change perceptions by encouraging your learners to participate in a similar activity. Download our FREE ready-to-use printable guide!
Hands-On STEM Immersion:
Finally, another very important step for educators to take is introducing opportunities for hands-on STEM experiences. STEM subjects are often collaborative and experimental, requiring a practical application for effective learning. Encouraging girls to use not only their minds but also their hands, increases the likelihood that they will develop an interest and passion for the subject.
Our BrickLAB collection includes hands-on building sets that motivate learners to experiment, collaborate and explore. With easy-to-use building materials and limitless creative opportunities, these programs are a perfect way for girls to literally get their hands on STEM.
The Future: What’s In Store for Women in STEM?
Without the participation of women in STEM, we have only half the brainpower, half the spirit, and ultimately, half the potential. We need more female voices in STEM to gain new perspectives in a male-dominated industry. Just think — as more female learners realize the impact their work will have on the environment, human rights and so much more, our world will change for the better.
At PCS Edventures, we believe wholeheartedly in the potential children hold. We don’t only support girls in STEM because not doing so would cut the workforce in half; we support girls in STEM because we believe every child should have the opportunity to pursue their dreams in any field they choose. Let’s continue to support our learners and inspire future generations of powerful women to thrive in STEM.
How do you inspire learners to
pursue their passions for STEM?
Share your successful strategies with our readers in the comments below!
References:
Ferry, G. (2019, March 01). Women in Science. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Women-in-Science-2100321
Fry, R., Kennedy, B., & Funk, C. (2021, April 1). Stem jobs see uneven progress in increasing gender, racial and ethnic diversity. Pew Research Center Science Society. https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/04/01/stem-jobs-see-uneven-progress-in-increasing-gender-racial-and-ethnic-diversity/
Lord Byron Quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/lord_byron_201616
Pak, E. (2018, September 04). When Women Became Nuns to Get a Good Education. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/women-education-medieval-nuns-church
Sáinz, M., and Eccles, J. (2012). Self-concept of computer and math ability: gender implications across time and within ICT studies. J. Vocat. Behav. 80, 486–499. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2011.08.005
Society of Women Engineers. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://research.swe.org/
Terada, Y. (2019, May 22). 50 Years of Children Drawing Scientists. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/50-years-children-drawing-scientists
Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.aauw.org/research/why-so-few/
Originally published July 10, 2019 by Arya Min
Updated in February, 2022 by Jessica Ventre
