STEMinist Weekly 
How Women in STEM Face Disparities 

by ​Kiara Casas​ on November 16th, 2018 

 
What's the Big Deal? 

 
What is the big deal?  During the 1970’s, women were seen to 
  steadily increase their involvement within 
Women are facing challenges in the STEM  “male-dominated” majors, but as of the 
community, and no one is talking about it.  1980’s, this spike decreased because of 
  less female involvement and males 
No one is talking about the lack of  avoiding “female-dominated” majors such 
representation that continues to plague  as those that fall under the liberal arts 
even those involved within the field. As of  (Beutel, Burge, Borden 114). While this 
2017, the Office of the Chief Economist  improvement is praised, the Council of 
reports that women only hold 24 percent  Economic found that in 2014, millennials 
of STEM-related careers in 2015. But  had a drop in STEM major study when 
why?  compared to those in previous 
  generations.  
 

 
 
This only leads to the question again of  “My parents were supportive of me when 
“why?” Why are we seeing such  I told them I was going to be studying 
improvement and diversity within the  biology and were even more supportive of 
field that leads to so much innovative and  my decision to go into Pediatrics. But I’m 
groundbreaking discoveries suddenly fall?   just lucky, I know in the Hispanic 
  community, there is criticism 
Ann Beutel, Stephanie Burge, and B. Ann  surrounding even the wishes to ​go t​ o 
Borden, Oklahoma sociologists, do accept  college.” We talked some more, and I 
that cultural perspective regarding  revealed my grandmothers consistent 
college majors contribute to the prevalent  reaction whenever she asks about my 
gender gap but argue what is not taken  major.  
into account is the adherence to feminine   
normalities could be associated with  “Qué vas a hacer con eso?” What are you 
choice of major (Beutel, Burge, Borden  going to do with that. 
115). These “norms” include caretaking of   
children, modesty, platonic/romantic  “I don’t really know why I chose business 
relationships, and three more areas of  as my major, but I know if I have a degree 
analysis.   in it I could pretty much walk in 
  anywhere and I’ll be set when it comes to 
In my insider interview with Mariela  having a job,” my outsider interviewee, 
Martin, a first-year Biology student here  Talia Clark, stated. The New York Times 
at the University of Arizona, she  reported that advertising the promises of 
reiterated the idea that cultural  a career is misleading when it is 
perspectives are a huge influence on  generalized to include all of STEM. They 
many, and argued against the “adherence  also report that only about 13 percent of 
to feminine formalities.”  those with undergraduate degrees in the 
  life sciences end up in their field of study. 
“You see,” she continued, “I love science, 
and I wish I could be in the College of  women away. In an interview with ​Insider: 
Science, but there aren’t any promises of  Higher Ed,​ Adriana D. Kugler, a professor 
jobs like a degree in business gives and I  at Georgetown University, explains, 
feel like I have buffer room. If I have uh, a  “Society keeps telling us that STEM fields 
major in Molecular and Cellular Biology  are masculine fields, that we need to 
like you do, but can’t find any jobs, what  increase the participation of women in 
else am I gonna do? You're [one is]  STEM fields, but that kind of sends a 
restricted to what you can do and I don’t  signal that it’s not a field for women, and 
like that.”  it kind of works against keeping women in 
  these fields.” 
Even for those within the STEM field,   
there are challenges to overcome.   So with both culture and biases present, 
  there will be a continuation of women not 
In the report “Why So Few?” released by  entering the field initially and even 
the ​American Association of University  possibly leaving, how can we address 
Women​, the association of math and  these issues? 
science with “male” and the   
humanities/arts with “female” only  Time for a Change 
hinders the success of current women in   
the field. Studies were later shown to not  There are many ways as these issues 
only depict that association but that  could be addressed, depending on what 
people were also prone to hold negative  issue you are trying to fix first. Are you 
views of women in these “male”  going to recruit more young girls into the 
associated positions. (Hill, Rose, Corbett  field? Or salvage those we already have? 
28)  Which one takes a higher priority? Why 
  can’t both be urgent?  
Research published in the ​Psychology of   
Women Quarterly​ details a phenomenon  In a poll released by ​STEMinist Weekly,​  
that creates an unstable environment for  69.2 percent of responders do believe 
women in STEM. STEM stereotypic  there is a disparity in the number of 
attribution bias (SSAB) is an idea that  women entering the STEM field when 
external factors are “to blame” for men’s  compared to their male counterpart. 
setbacks within the field, while women’s  When asked what could be done to close 
setbacks can only be explained through  this gender gap within STEM, those 
internal factors. (LaCosse, Sekaquaptewa,  replied with “Change workplace culture,” 
Bennett 378) This dangerous perception  “Greater involvement in all public school 
creates a negative environment and there  districts from K-12 to provide access to 
is much more hostility observed between  STEM during the school schedule that 
women. The paper concludes that this  engages all learners,” and “Better 
bias is only aggravated when “cues in the  investment in girls' education, especially 
setting promote the stereotype” (LaCosse,  in 6-8th grade, when we see a huge drop 
Sekaquaptewa, Bennett 394)  in girls' engagement in STEM activities 
  both during and after the school day.”  
Even in this hostile environment, their   
form of mentorship could be one to drive 
Studies conducted by Carol Dweck, a  achievement but increased persistence in 
social and developmental psychologist,  STEM fields as well” (34) This positive 
honed in on the foundations of  outlook on individual capabilities through 
motivation. Collaborating with the AAUW,  growth mindset is potentially what could 
she believes the ideas of “Growth v. Fixed  begin to close the gender gap within the 
Mindset” is crucial when it comes to  STEM field.  
performance in STEM. (Hill, Rose, Corbett   
33-34) “Ongoing research by Dweck and   
her colleagues has shown that a growth   
mindset promotes not only higher 
   
 
 
 
 
 

About the Author 

I am a current freshman at the University of Arizona studying Molecular and Cellular 

The “normal” side of me is interested in how females are almost at an advantage when it 
comes to their disadvantages/disparities faced in the STEM field. Think of it like a soon to 
be revolution.   

 
 
Beutel, Ann M., et al. “Femininity and Choice of College Major.” Gender Issues, vol. 35, no. 2,  
2017, pp. 113–136., doi:10.1007/s12147-017-9195-8. 
Clark, Talia, and Kiara Casas. “Interview with Outsider.” 4 Nov. 2018. 
Keefe, Abigail. “Major Field of Study, by Generation.” Loquitur, Loquitur, 22 Apr. 2015,  
www.theloquitur.com/women-millennials-choose-social-science-rather-than-stem-studies-show/. 
Photo on website 
Lacosse, Jennifer, et al. “STEM Stereotypic Attribution Bias Among Women in an  
Unwelcoming Science Setting.” Psychology of Women Quarterly, vol. 40, no. 3, 2016, pp. 379–397., 
doi:10.1177/0361684316630965. 
Lohr, Steve. “Where the STEM Jobs Are (and Where They Aren't).” The New York Times, The 
New York Times, 1 Nov. 2017,  
www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/education/edlife/stem-jobs-industry-careers.html. 
Martin, Mariela, and Kiara Casas. “Interview with Insider.” 30 Oct. 2018. 
Roll, Nick. “Why Female Students Leave STEM.” Inside Higher Ed, Inside Higher Ed, 29 Aug. 
2017, 
www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/08/29/study-says-multiple-factors-work-together-drive-wo
men-away-stem. 
“Women in STEM: 2017 Update.” Department of Commerce, United States Department of  
Commerce, 13 Dec. 2017, www.commerce.gov/news/fact-sheets/2017/11/women-stem-2017-update.