Women in the STEM Field
by Kelly Chiang
For years, I have heard the narrative that the STEM field is dominated by men and there must be more women included in this field. I wanted to learn more about the reasons behind this gender disparity, so I turned to my family friends looking for an answer. I interviewed Shirley and Sean, a couple who both work in the STEM field.
Q: What was the STEM field like when you first started and how did the field or culture change?
A (Shirley): Starting from 1995, I started in the commercial role all the way till now, 2021. Women engineers are a small group. But from time to time, I did realize there are more and more women in this field. I think it's a good sign because we need to be more diversified in this field.
A (Sean): At our school, the ratio was about 80% of men, 20% of women. Even at the university level, in terms of women who were very interested in engineering, at least 30 years ago, it was very much tilted towards males versus females. I started in 1991. And they had a focus, even at that time, on recruiting more women into the STEM fields. I think that progress has definitely been made, but there's a lot more work that needs to be done to further women's interest in and success in these fields.
Q: Did you ever face or witness an encounter of discrimination solely because of your/their gender?
A (Shirley): I would say no; maybe I'm being really lucky. Because the first company I worked for is one of the biggest German chemical companies. So I think they already have a very diversified culture towards different genders and races. And then my second job is working for an American company. I don't feel they treat me differently than my other male colleagues. But that's just my personal experience. So I can't really comment for some smaller company, maybe there's things like that. Once again, I think it depends on which company you work for, and maybe which group you work for. So I've been really, really lucky.
A (Sean): Yeah, definitely. And I think it wasn't just blatant. What happened more often was in meetings, for example, where there's a lot of people and everybody's trying to get their thoughts across. Sometimes I think men could be a little bit more aggressive in those kinds of thoughts, like unconsciously. But they definitely felt superior.
Q: Why do you think there are not more women working in the STEM field?
A (Shirley): Well, based on my experience, I think, you know, from high school, I really noticed that my classmates were more interested in literature and languages versus science. So why there's no women- I really think there are more and more women who are interested in STEM. They just have to like it and then believe in themselves.
A (Sean): I think work life balance is an issue. Also, going into a field where it's mainly men can be intimidating for sure. You know, as I mentioned, you get a bunch of men in a room and then, you know, a lower number of women, you know, sometimes that can be difficult. And then probably being intimidated about the field itself. It's very hard. It's very technical. But making more opportunities available to women to expand beyond that, if they choose to, and then to work life balance, I think that's pretty important.
Q: What do you think is the first step that people should be taking to ensure equality in the STEM fields?
A (Shirley): I think, again, you know, being very diversified. So regardless of your gender, background, race, religion, you have to treat people the same.
A (Sean): I think just making maybe STEM careers more I say, like helping to inform women in high school college levels, about what a STEM career might look like. For example, we can say, for women who are interested in the really technical STEM field and want to basically excel in that highly technical area, there should be career ladders for them, so that they can see where they can go with that. But on the other hand, if there are women who are interested in STEM, but also have broader interests, you know, they should also be made aware of earlier, of what that career path might look like.
After hearing about Shirley and Sean’s experiences, I realized that there are various perspectives of discrimination in the STEM field and in general. I was pleasantly surprised that Shirley did not face or encounter instances of prejudice on the basis of her gender, while Sean witnessed them multiple times. In every aspect of life, people will face different experiences, and it is important to acknowledge them all. From this conversation, I was able to take away a sense of hope and optimism that this field has and will continue to become more inclusive.