Gender Discrimination in STEM Fields

SHELLEY LIN
Staff Writer

In such a progressive society, many would expect old practices and beliefs to be diminished. However, discrimination, especially between the genders, is still evident. In the past, men worked and were allowed to go to school while women were not. Eventually, women proved that they can be as strong and intelligent as the opposite sex, and in the present, the number of females dominates the number of males in teaching. Unfortunately, discrimination still exists between the two genders. For example, women are currently discouraged when it comes to entering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Women should not be discouraged to pursue their dreams; instead, they should be more welcomed to the field and be treated the way men are.

Even after years of women putting in the effort to prove that they are just as bold and courageous as men, they are discouraged in the STEM fields. Janet Bandows Koster, executive director of the Association for Women in Science, expressed how females already working in science and those who aspire to often feel that the science community is biased against them. Although there are have been many males who have performed significant scientific feats, women have as well. For example, Marie Curie was a Nobel prize winner for her discovery of polonium and radium just as Dmitri Mendeleev was credited with the creation of the periodic table. Similarly, a female physicist or engineer should be respected and valued the same as a male physicist or engineer.

According to the New York Times, males are most likely chosen instead of women in STEM jobs. If a woman is hired, their salary is about $4,000 lower on average than man’s. Women can be just as hardworking as men, and it is the quality and determination that should count in these fields, not gender.

Many discouraging and sexist remarks are directed to women during their studies in the field of STEM. Scientific evidence shows that many leave their careers and claim to have faced unwanted sexual harassment. No one should be discouraged in something they are determined to learn. Although females dominate males in teaching, women who desire to be in the STEM field are being prevented because of the great discrimination between males and females. Females should be respected as well as males.