Difference Between STEM And SET Fields

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Recommended: Gender inequality within stem fields

Molly Wyatt
WGST Final Project

STEM and SET fields are traditionally male dominated and women often find them difficult to break into. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. These fields are often grouped together for studies. SET is the other acronym used and it stands for science, technology, and engineering. While progress has been made women are still significantly underrepresented. Technology, unlike the other STEM/SET fields, is filled with many more male employees especially when it comes to leadership positions. This has happened due to a mix of choices and outside forces, visibility, and hiring procedures.

The fields of science and technology have long been primarily represented by men. So much so that today …show more content…

One such phenomenon that women face in SET fields is known as the “leaky pipeline” (Servon). The leaky pipeline name is based off of the image attached to the phenomenon. Women and men travel along the pipeline as they move through their careers. From high school to college and on to their first job, they move onwards. However, along the way people 'leak out ' and do not progress. In the IT field it is much more common for women to leak out than men. One of the reasons for according to Servon is that the SET fields often emphasize typically male characteristics. Women find that they must emulate these characteristics or not move forward in the careers because they will be seen as weaker or less qualified. Another reason given was the lack of mentors for women in their given field (Sevron). The lack of guidance puts women at a disadvantage as they progress and try to advance up the career ladder. Women do not learn how to face obstacles and coping mechanisms from women who have come before them. Instead they must often start from the beginning and learn on their own. Servon named corporate culture as the last reason for women leaking through the pipeline. Corporate culture really is a broad category which includes many problems that women face in all professions like sexual harassment and the feeling of others thinking that they are less qualified or capable because of their gender alone. The experience of SET women is summed up by a quote and a statistic. “Professional success is contingent on [their] ability to withstand aggressive male behavior” and 41% of the bottom ladder of the SET group is women, but the top rung is only comprised of 9.6% women (Servon). Women are truly leaking out of the system and at the same time the ones who persist are facing a work environment that seems to be worse than other professions. All of these external

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