Gender Stereotypes: Limiting Women in STEM Careers

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Have you ever wondered why women make up only “10-20 percent” of careers in science and technology? (Countries Must Address). The cause of this is from the media that injects gender stereotypes into our lives. The adroitness used to execute these stereotypes can push women away from STEM careers. Women today are pushed away from STEM careers due to discriminating gender stereotypes, an impact which can be seen through the imbalance in the nation's sex ratio in STEM careers. America’s history addresses the inferiority of women in many situations. Women have been denied the right to equal opportunities particularly in the STEM pathway, and are ultimately socialized to avoid these careers altogether. “Born in 1920, Rosalind Franklin used x-rays …show more content…

Current issues today include the “Under-representation of women in the science, technology, and engineering world, [and the] real need for a renewed commitment to inspire and empower women” (The Need for Raising Number). It would be detrimental to the American “Societies that do not make use of the intellectual potential of around 50 percent of its population,” and those societies “Will not [be able to] flourish in the long run” (The Need for Raising Number). This can lead to a greater imbalance in gender ratios in STEM, as well as the possible downfall of societies. Another issue is the lack of education in third world countries. In 1999, there was an appalling statistic that only “57 percent” of women in “Sub-Saharan Africa” enrolled at primary schools (Women Fight). This is an issue that spreads further just Africa. It can affect even first world countries like America. The lack of female leadership is an issue that coincides with the lack of education. Judith Lungu, a member of the “Zambia Association for Women in Science and Technology (ZAWIST)... said [that] leadership [is] one of the crucial tools in ensuring that the concerns of women, which are humanitarian, [are] placed in the limelight” so that they can be “addressed effectively” (Women

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