Space for Women in STEM

Like many women, I push myself to the max. In science, in training, in research. When you underestimate us, you make us stronger. Together, we are the change. Together, we can face anything. Rewind to my elementary school years; I was six years old, living life, mastering how to kick around a soccer ball at practice, minding my own business, and BAM! I learned about space. My mind was so blown that I remember asking my dad if “space was real,” and “if people had ever been there before?” From that moment on I couldn’t get enough. By the time I was eight, I set foot at my first space camp and I’ve never looked back. I decided early on that space was for me, science was for me, and STEM was for me. But I couldn’t be the only one. Where were all the other girls who shared my passion for science and STEM? While my early years at space camp were composed of a nearly equal number of boys and girls with no clear gender gap in sight, it didn’t take long for me to witness the inevitable dropoff, leaving me as one of the few girls standing in the room.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Education, women accounted for only 32.4% of all STEM degree recipients in the 2017-2018 academic year. For women of color, the numbers are even starker. As of 2019, women make up only 27% of the STEM workforce, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. STEM careers account for about 6.7% of total U.S. employment and provide more than double the salary versus the median annual wage of non-STEM jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to Built by Me, an organization that promotes STEM learning for children, there are four main reasons why more women aren't pursuing STEM careers:

1. The learning environment and social-belief system shape girls interests and motivation.
2. Social biases affect women’s progress and career choices.
3. Education systems and workforces aren’t making the necessary changes to accommodate female students.
4. A lack of female mentors and role models.

More than half of girls count themselves out of STEM careers by the time they reach college, thanks in large part to the lack of female mentorship and role models. Whether it’s in outer space or in the lab, seeing is believing, and so many young women never see female representation in STEM, so inherently we believe it isn’t for us. My mentors were a crucial part of my STEM journey.

I was lucky enough to have women in my life who showed me that working in a STEM field was an option and now I want to help make sure young women everywhere get this same opportunity. My biggest goal isn’t just to visit space and discover if life could be viable on other planets like Mars. It is also to inspire others through female representation in STEM fields. Society needs to stop steering girls toward more stereotypically “feminine” career paths. But until that happens, I implore girls to be brave enough to continue to explore even the tiniest interest in STEM: Go to that space camp, try that computer coding class, shadow a microbiologist in a lab setting. Have an interest in fashion and space? Don’t be afraid to chase both dreams and start designing a cutting-edge spacesuit! It could make a world of difference.

Female-identifying humans everywhere, don’t listen to yesterday’s stereotypes. A scientist looks like a woman, a technologist looks like a woman, an engineer looks like a woman, and a mathematician looks like a woman. Once women and their pivotal accomplishments are recognized, even more women will feel empowered to pursue these industries. Because STEM is indeed for women, too! BY ELSA SHIJU