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Meghan Ellison

Prof. Joyce Barnes

Eng 1201

2 May 2021

STEM: The Factors that Create the Gender Gap

The number of women in the STEM field is growing, yet men still significantly

outnumber women. According to the American Association of University Women, a non-profit

organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and

research, "Women make up only 28% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and

math (STEM), and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college"

(AAUW). Although more awareness has been brought to correct the gender gap, women are

still severely underrepresented in the STEM field. As a female aspiring to pursue a STEM career,

I have seen some of the gender gaps as early as high school. In my high school engineering class

of 28 people, I was one of only two girls in that class. In my AP Physics class, out of 34 people, I

was the only girl in that class. This led me to ask, why are girls choosing not to take these

classes? I began to think of my own experiences as one of the only girls in the class, which has

an impact on my interest in the field. Although no one ever told me that I shouldn't take these

classes or don't belong there, at the same time, my female friends or I were never encouraged.

As I began to question my aspirations of selecting a STEM-related major in college, I wondered

why other females my age do not consider this a viable option for their careers. By better

understanding potential barriers, these factors will help create solutions to combat the gender

gap and empower females to be equal contributors in advancing the STEM field.
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First, we need to acknowledge that in 2021 there is still a substantial gender gap in

STEM careers and women majoring in these fields. Although the last few decades have shown

some promise in closing this gap, more works still need to be done. It wasn't too long ago,

women were not even encouraged to obtain post-secondary degrees, and when they did, they

often selected majors such as English, Education, or Nursing. Despite the fact, "Studies have

shown that women are more likely than men to enter and complete college in U.S. higher

education, yet women are less likely to earn degrees in science, technology, engineering and

math fields" (Blackwood) according to the Cornell Chronicle. The unbalanced representation of

women choosing these fields of study is concerning and is an injustice for advancing these

fields. The absence of stories in our culture portraying women selecting STEM careers is lacking,

and stories of women excelling past their male colleagues are few and far between. For

example, in the movie "Hidden Figures," in which Hollywood portrays three female

mathematicians who worked at NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program, their

journey is an enlightening one and depicts the struggles they faced as African American women

working in a STEM field. I question how much progress have we made since 1960 and what

steps have been taken to encourage more girls to pursue careers in the STEM field? What is the

breakdown that is contributing to this gender gap?

Many females in STEM often experience unintentional bias toward them, created out of

the stereotypes surrounding these fields. This discourages females from continuing with STEM

and often causes them to switch their majors and select a course of study that aligns with

society's expectations. Although many agencies and non-profit institutes are designed to get

women interested in STEM to increase women's participation, they might be doing the
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opposite. By painting a picture that STEM is a masculine field and promoting more females to

join these careers could potentially send a message that STEM isn't intrinsically designed for

women, creating a counterproductive mission. Often these campaigns target older girls when

their self-identity is already built on the foundation that STEM is a masculine field. To combat

this self-doubt in young females, it is critical to reaching girls at a younger age in various ways

to dispel this misconception. This gender bias can even be seen in the toys young boys and girls

are given to play with at young ages. Although the last few years toy manufacturing has been

more conscious of these stereotypes, toys that engage an engineering mindset and skills are

geared more toward boys. Yet, toys with a caretaker or soft skills, like dolls or play kitchens, are

marketed toward young girls. Reaching impressionable children, even at younger ages, will

empower girls to think big and imagine themselves in roles within STEM. The lack of women in

the STEM field results from women feeling unwanted and displaced due to unchecked social

bias, education, and the environment.

Additionally, some researchers believe that the persistent gender gap across all jobs is

directly related to gender stereotypes. Gender stereotypes are said to lower women's

aspirations in STEM-related fields over time. A study found that children, kindergarten through

5th grade, perceive a scientist as a man. Out of this study, they had 4,807 children draw a

scientist, and only 28 drew females (Makarova). Many people tend to view STEM careers as

masculine. The lack of female role models in this field gives young girls nobody to look up to

and realize that a STEM career is attainable and achievable. This makes women feel like they

don't belong and create less aspiration for this field. To improve these gender stereotypes,

researchers suggest adding pictures of females around the classroom and in textbooks can shift
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the STEM field's perception (Berwick). It will combat gender stereotypes and give girls role

models to look up to. By spreading awareness and decreasing stereotypes, it will reduce the

gender gap in STEM, giving women fair representation in the field. Role models are critical to

developing aspirations and showing young females that it's possible to join the STEM field. The

increase in female role models will create a supportive environment for all females interested

in pursuing a STEM career.

To explore the effects of the education system is to understand where the gap starts.

Throughout elementary and middle school, girls take roughly the same amount of math and

science classes as boys. However, fewer women compared to men go on to pursue STEM

careers in college. Even less end up graduating with a STEM degree. The difference is especially

dramatic when looking at degrees such as physics, engineering, or computer science, with only

20 percent of women graduating (Swafford). These statistics are startling and show the need for

greater advocacy and opportunities for women pursuing a STEM-related degree in a way that

will drive real change. Although it's hard to determine where the gap starts, it seems to be

more prevalent late in high school when females make decisions related to their future career

paths and aspirations. A big misconception is that men have a higher aptitude for math than

women, which is a blatantly false gender bias that can severely impact the way girls approach

math and science-based courses. The result of recent studies shows the girls have equal footing

in grasping math and science curriculum. The rapid increase in the number of girl's test scores

in math in the past 30 years shows the extent of cultural factors in the works. The ratio of men

to women who scored above a 700 math score on the SAT 30 years ago was 13:1; today, it's

3:1. When looking at National test scores, girls and boys have been equal or a few points off
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(AAUW). These biases are unfair and will pigeonhole both men and females into certain roles

based on society's expectations. Take, for example, cooking, it would be unfair to say women

are just better cooks than men, and the food they prepare tastes better than one cooked by a

male. Another example is education and teaching professions; women and men equally possess

the ability to be effective and successful teachers. It would be an injustice to our children if men

were less encouraged or felt excluded from pursuing a degree in education. Having balanced

gender representation in all careers and courses of study is critical to the success and

advancement in these areas.

Another striking study showed that even how teachers are susceptible to unconscious

bias in the way they approach their student's learning journey and the role teachers play at an

early age is helping to shape these stereotypes. In a recent study that examined the role

teachers play in inadvertently contributing to these perceptions, researchers divided 6th-grade

exams in half. One half was graded by the teachers and included students' names, and the

other half was graded externally without the student's name, which is a key identifier in

knowing if the student is male or female. The teacher who was familiar with the students

graded the boys higher in math, while the external grader, in the blind study, graded the girls

higher in math (Berwick). This study's results are hugely problematic in shaping the perception

of gender-biased advantages in testing scoring. The compounded effects of boys statistically

receiving higher scores on math and science tests can result in boys having a higher sense of

superiority or ownership in these academic areas. Setting this precedent at a young age can

carry through to equality in the workforce. When both males and females approach the same

math or science problem, teams will be ingrained to lean toward selecting an answer or
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solutions generated by a male colleague because they believe they have a stronger aptitude for

math, although both solutions could have similar outcomes. One solution that may combat this

bias is approaching test grading and scoring blindly to eliminate potential gender bias. Schools

and institutes could adopt best practices to eliminate any names or gender identification on

tests and homework submitted. Students could be assigned a number that would be used on all

graded papers submitted, and teachers would not be able to identify the student by their

gender. Also, designing test questions with some form of gender neutrality could provide a

sense of fairness and bolster girls’ self-worth in their math and science capabilities. According

to Edutopia, "After analyzing 8 million fourth- and eighth-grade national standardized test

scores and finding that gender gaps correlated with multiple choice questions—as opposed to

open-ended ones—and attributed to 25 percent of the difference in scores between males and

females" (Edutopia).

Another root cause of gender bias in the classroom is how female teachers approach

their insecurities in the classroom and how this can affect impressionable young girls. Recent

studies have shown teachers, being predominantly women, pass their math anxiety on to girls

at a young age. When female teachers demonstrate a lack of confidence in math, this could be

a factor that decreases women from taking advanced-level math and sciences classes later in

high school. Researchers suggest that female teachers should stay away from phrases that

show their math discomfort, as it decreases young females' math abilities (Blackwood).

Additionally, schools and higher education intuitions proactively seek to high an equal number

of both male and female teachers for math and science-based classes. Having a diverse set of
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role models and educators for our young students could help eliminate gender stereotypes

formed at a young age and empower females to believe they can excel in these areas.

Another significant contributing factor to the inequality of men and women in STEM-

related careers is the blatant pay gap versus male and female workers in these fields. "Men in

STEM annual salaries are nearly $15,000 higher per year than women ($85,000 compared to

$60,828)" (AAUW). This disparaging of salaries has been wide publicity in the mainstream

media. Although corporate institutions claim to reform this pay gap, unfortunately, it may take

years to align male and females salaries equally. The impact of this fact could contribute to

women making different choices in their career aspirations. Knowing that by simply being

female, your earning potential is limited due to your gender is a fact that could discourage

women from pursuing a STEM-related career. Also, young girls may think they need to work

twice as hard as their male counterparts to be successful and receive an equal wage.

Knowing STEM-related careers could present as an uphill battle and will be harder for

females, many students may choose to select a different career choice. Women in STEM carers

often face the effects of gender bias, causing them to constantly have to prove themselves.

Many women have to deal with unwarranted prejudice as a result creating an unfair

environment in the workforces. According to AAUW, "Female managers receive lower ratings

on performance reviews than male managers do and are held to a higher standard, needing

better performance ratings than their male peers to be promoted" (AAUW). Since they face

lower performance ratings than males, they are forced to prove themselves more than men.

Women are also less likely to be given leadership positions compared to men. Women also

experience disadvantage when it comes to scheduling. Men are more likely than women to
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receive days requested off work compared to their female coworkers. This lack of flexibility can

make it hard for women, especially working mothers, to advance their careers. Managers' or

human resources' everyday decision-making, such as policies, are influenced by gender biases.

This often results in fewer opportunities for women and increases opportunities for men.

Some people argue that women are less interested in STEM careers than men due to

biological factors. According to Andresse St. Rose, one of the authors from "Why so few?",

"Another common but somewhat misguided explanation for female underrepresentation in

STEM is that while girls and young women may be just as able as young men, they are not as

interested in science and engineering. From early adolescence, girls report less interest in math

and science careers than boys do (Turner et al. 2008)" (Hill). These early preferences are said to

shape careers, later on, leading women to gravitate towards biology or careers involving people

and men towards mechanical objects. Another support for this claim is that women are

overrepresented in biology and physcology, which causes them to be underrepresented in

areas of STEM. They believe that women choose biology and psychology careers over stem

because of biological interest in those areas. According to David C. Geary, a cognitive

developmental psychologist at the University of Missouri and one of the contributors of the

article "Why the Gender Disparity in STEM Isn't as Bad as You Think", "What is surprising is that

many programs to increase girls' and women's engagement in STEM are partly based on an

uncritical assumption that the underlying causes include social factors, such as stereotype

threat or implicit bias" (Geary). They believe that these biases and stereotypes don't have a

significant effect on the STEM gender gap. Since there isn't any bias or stereotype there, they

argue that there is no way to control them (Geary).

Although it is important to acknowledge the concerns opposing the gender gap, it is still

a legitimate concern for our society. Having balanced gender representation is critical to the

success and advancement in STEM. Without equal representation we are at risk of losing

valuable ideas and knowledge that could benefit the field. This is why it's important to have a

diverse with different races, genders, religion and cultural background. By increasing

innovation, creativity and problem solving with different perspectives, it will create a more

advanced society.

We need to bring awareness to more people regarding the gender gap in STEM. After

reviewing this essay and addressing the already predominant problems in our society, it is clear

that there is an urgent need for change. To better serve future generations and build the

workforce of the future, the need for a technologically literate and balanced workforce is

critical. Women make up roughly half the population, and in STEM careers and many other

fields, opportunities to create a diverse representation would be a priority. By critically

examining the stereotypes, educational factors, and social environment, is the first step at

bringing awareness of why a gender gap exists in the United States. To move forward, we as a

society need to accept the existence of the gender gap. Hopefully, this paper will explain why

women are struggling to thrive in STEM and will begin to solve the problem at hand.
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Source: “Why So Few”, The STEM Gap: Women and Girls in Science, Technology,

Engineering and Math – AAUW : Empowering Women Since 1881.

Works Cited

AAUW, “The STEM Gap: Women and Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

– AAUW : Empowering Women Since 1881.” AAUW, 5 Oct. 2020,

www.aauw.org/resources/research/the-stem-gap/.   

Accessed 22 March. 2021.

Berwick, Carly. “Keeping Girls in STEM: 3 Barriers, 3 Solutions.” Edutopia, George Lucas

Educational Foundation, 12 Mar. 2019, www.edutopia.org/article/keeping-girls-stem-3-

barriers-3-solutions.  Accessed 22 March. 2021.

Blackwood , Kate. “Gender Gaps in STEM College Majors Emerge in High School.” Cornell

Chronicle, Cornell University, 1 July 2020, news.cornell.edu/stories/2020/07/gender-

gaps-stem-college-majors-emerge-high-school. Accessed 22 March. 2021

Geary, David C., and Gijsbert Stoet. “Why the Gender Disparity in STEM Isn't as Bad as

You Think (Opinion).” Education Week, 25 Feb. 2020, www.edweek.org/teaching-

learning/opinion-why-the-gender-disparity-in-stem-isnt-as-bad-as-you-think/2018/05.

Accessed 22 March. 2021.

Hill, Catherine, et al. “Why So Few?” AAUW, Feb. 2010,

www.aauw.org/app/uploads/2020/03/why-so-few-research.pdf. Accessed 22 March.

2021.

Makarova, Elena, et al. “The Gender Gap in STEM Fields: The Impact of the Gender Stereotype

of Math and Science on Secondary Students' Career Aspirations.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 11

June 2019, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2019.00060/full. 

Accessed 22 March. 2021.

Swafford, Marshall, and Ryan Anderson. “Addressing the Gender Gap: Women’s Perceived

Barriers to Pursuing STEM Careers.” Journal of Research in Technical Careers, vol. 4, no.

1, May 2020, pp. 61–74. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1254004&site=eds-live. Accessed 22 March. 2021.