By SARA LIEN
STEM is the key to the future. Most of the world’s biggest problems, ranging from health to the economy, have been, can be, and will be solved with STEM. Yet men, who make up a little less than half of the world’s population, are the ones making most of the solutions. This means that we live in a world tailored specifically for men while women’s perspectives are left to fall to the wayside.
If problems are solved with only a singular perspective in mind, the solution can harm those whose perspectives were not taken into account. According to a 2017 study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, women are more likely to die of cardiac arrest because health care professionals do not know how to properly perform CPR when the patient has breasts. Although this problem may sound ridiculous, even more ridiculous is the fact that it only exists due to a simple design error. CPR dummies are all modelled after the male form and thus healthcare professionals are less likely to know how to perform CPR on someone with breasts. There is such a stigma surrounding women’s breasts—heaven forbid we touch them, even for the sake of saving someone’s life. As it was primarily men who designed the CPR dummies, many women suffer the consequences. No one considered that CPR might be different for women's bodies.
So, why is it that so few women are in STEM-related industries? Being the only woman in a workplace is difficult; it is easy to have your ideas talked over, stolen, or just completely ignored. Even as women are doing their jobs, they get cut off by a man, who then proceeds to reexplain what they were saying, a practice sometimes called mansplaining. This phenomenon leads many women to believe that their ideas are not good enough to be heard, creating an inferiority complex.
This inferiority complex is especially prevalent in women of colour. According to a study done by Indianapolis School of Science, black women remain the least represented in the STEM industry despite there being an equal demonstrated interest in STEM by both black and white women. The stigma that black women are just “not made for science and math” harms the mindset of young black girls, turning them away from pursuing careers in STEM. The lack of black women in STEM in turn reduces the representation that young black girls need to regain their confidence. This is a cycle that we need to break.
The glass ceiling effect also hinders women who are trying to acquire jobs in the STEM industry. The glass ceiling effect is the barrier women face before reaching top ranks in their industry; it stems from the stereotype that women will neglect work in favour of taking care of children and household tasks. Moreover, women who are married have a lower chance of getting jobs compared to married men, and the chance that a married woman with children will be hired is even lower. These prejudices are especially prevalent in Japan, which has one of the highest gender wage gaps in the world. Japanese culture places a strong emphasis on family and a woman’s role as the homemaker. With a 25.7% gap in wages, women are discouraged from venturing into the workforce, deciding to instead fulfil their role as a wife and mother by staying at home.
By not having enough women working on solutions to the world’s biggest problems, the world is missing out on a whole different perspective that could be detrimental for our future. Women are hindered from entering STEM industries due to mistreatment in the workplace and sexist prejudices that affect hiring practices. The push for women in STEM is not just about representation but, rather, it is about ensuring a brighter future for all.