Sexism In STEM

Sexism in STEM

Despite a growing push for diversity in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields there is still a great deal of sexism experienced by women who work and study in these fields. There are many factors to consider when examining and studying the presence of sexism in STEM. Firstly, what problems stem from society at large? What problems start from an early age and get worse? What problems are unique to high school, college, graduate school in professional environments? The goal of this research to explore and provide information on what the underlying issues are regarding how women are discriminated against when entering in and joining the STEM fields. It will examine issues primarily involved in western society,

The toys and clothing a child is presented with are all influenced by the society a child’s parents are part of and the environment they grow up in. Boys are often presented with mechanical toys, such as trucks and gaming systems while girls for the most part are presented with dolls or other “feminine” toys. Girls’ pink plastered toys have are not involved in science while boys are paraded in front of Legos, robotics and other engineering toys. One only needs to stroll through the different isles in a toy store to see the difference in marketing- the stark contrast is almost shocking. Objects that society deems as suitable for girls are often domestic, or unrelated to science, while boys are given the opportunity to engage in science, engineering and technology with their playthings. There is a similar difference in clothing as well. While boys are often bought sneakers and jeans, girls are brought dresses and skirts, which are often unconducive with playing

The effects of gender based biases can be found in the study by Doctor Rachael D. Robnett Phd of University of Nevada. In her study Gender Bias in STEM Fields she studies how much biases can be detected in women and girls from high school through higher education. The study relied on women and girls self-identifying with experiences in biases, as well as explaining how those experiences affected them. “Overall, 61% of participants in the current study reported experiencing gender bias at least once during the past year.” and that the bias changed depending on which stage of education they were in. Another important finding was that “At the college and graduate levels, it is not uncommon for women to encounter male peers who make remarks about women being accepted into STEM programs on the basis of their gender rather than their academic credentials.” The implication of this is that the bias is constant throughout woman's journey through