“It starts from a young age. It starts by encouraging girls when they’re very young that it’s okay to be explorers, it’s okay to get your hands dirty, asking questions doesn’t make you weird… I think that’s a pressure that’s put on girls a lot more than it is boys.”
Emily Graslie of thebrainscoop, on how to get girls interested in the sciences from a young age. (via sciencefriday)
I don’t think there’s anything I’m asked to talk about more than women in science. Which, honestly, I go back and forth on feeling good and feeling weird about. I’ve created 100 videos for YouTube: 99 of them are about natural history, and 1 of them is about women in science issues.
Here’s the big misconception: girls don’t need help getting interested in science, the scientific fields need help retaining girls in science. We are all born inquisitive and curious about our world, but girls are actively told that this is not okay through a variety of ways as they grow up. Sometimes that comes in the form of a perceived societal prioritization of appearance over intellect, a lack of resources to explore their interests, or just general cultural bias favoring boys for these subjects. Sometimes it’s obvious stuff, like your math teacher saying “girls aren’t good at math” when you’re in 9th grade [true story for many].
To sum up the ways in which we can encourage a more diverse array of voices in STE(A)M fields, I’ve found these to be the most logical and effective methods:
Mentorship and encouragement are key. Mentorship has been proven to play a vital role in the participation and retention of young people in these fields. I am where I am today because of Dave Dyer, who was curator at the University of Montana Zoological Museum, oversaw my internship, wrote letters of recommendation for jobs and graduate programs, and tirelessly advocated for that collection with me. More than that, he was a great listener with an open mind and entertained a number of my ideas and projects, including starting this blog. He’s now at the Ohio Historical Society, where he started a blog of his own. :)
If you want women in these fields, make your workplace a place women want to work. Without offering any kind of flexibility in regards to family planning and parental leave, of course women aren’t going to look at your business or institution with starry eyes. This should not be surprising to anyone. Do not fault a woman because she wants to have a family.
With that ^^^ in mind, you know, equal pay goes a long way.
Your excuse “We Just Want The Best Candidate So We Hire The Best And That Sometimes Means Picking A Man Over A Woman” doesn’t fly. Hiring committees: diversify. If you want the same sort of results then go ahead and homogenize your staff, but don’t claim to be aspiring towards Being The Best - you’re just aspiring to maintain status quo.
More positive role models in the media and in history books. There are a few - there can always be more. Put some heroes out there that young girls can see themselves becoming some day.
Highlight the great work of women scientists but wait hold up don’t highlight the great work of women scientists with the caveat Woman Scientist Did Great Work. The headline should read: Scientist Did Great Work.
Create inclusive work environments, which means having a no-tolerance policy for sexism and discrimination.
wait let me just say that again:
IN THE WORK/SCHOOL PLACE.
Correll, S.J., 2004, “Constraints into preferences: Gender, status, and emerging career aspirations,” <— Reference the articles that cite this source below for more great reading.
Moss-Racusin et al. 2012. “Science faculty’s subtle gender biases favor male students.” PNAS
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