For my final blog post, I want to explore what is stopping women from entering the STEM fields. For one, women may not like the “overly competitive” and “demanding” aspect of the sciences (Baker, 2011). Also, the road to receiving tenure can get in the way with a woman’s wish to start a family. It is obvious that careers in science are still geared towards men’s lifestyles rather than women’s. Women, if they wish to have children, have to factor that into their career choices because have a child is time-consuming and puts added pressure on their life (Baker, 2011).
Thankfully, graduate schools have made improvements. A while ago, women were not even allowed to apply. Today, a good percentage (although still under a half) of women apply for tenure. A study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology proved that the College’s efforts to attract women teachers to the college was a success. These women educators, chosen specifically, are able to work with the College administrators on issues like “equity, hiring, (and) family” (Baker, 2011). Changes like this within a college may potentially bring more women into the academic sciences.
Many organizations are advocating for women in sciences and working to make the career choice more available for women. More opportunities are becoming available for women to branch out within the sciences. Biologists can also work with the government or non-profit agencies. One female biologist chose to work in policy. While her peers who were working at universities felt the need to wait to have children, she was able to take on a four day work week, giving her the chance to start a family (Baker, 2011).
Ultimately, working in the sciences is a demanding and time-consuming career choice, especially for those working in colleges and universities. Sacrifices have to be made in order to reach success. Unfortunately, the sacrifices women have to make (especially the decision to have a family) are often greater than the ones men have to make. Women should not shy away from working the sciences because, as the article mentions, there are other options within the scientific fields that allow women to have more time on their hands (Baker, 2011).
The media example I chose is an interesting example that show three models that deal with women in the sciences. The models range from doing nothing, to complete change within the STEM fields. Interesting to note, the video does not state the speaker’s relationship to the topic she is discussing.
References:
Baker, B. (2011). Having a Life in Science. Bioscience, 61(6), 429-433. doi:10.1525/bio.2011.61.6.4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLHaAYYgGOg
