The Leaky Pipeline

When young girls are disinterested in science, or when young women don’t pursue science majors in college, this has an overall impact that in a way is a disservice to society. Girls aren’t rejecting science and careers in science because it’s too difficult. Rather, there are other reasons at play, most of which have kept women from pursing careers in science, technology, engineering and math and subsequently creating a gender gap in STEM. Young girls, and women, experience teacher bias in the classroom, a chilly climate from male colleagues as they progress through their careers, little societal support for wanting a career and a family, lacking role models in their study of interest, and an overall lack of science preparation when it comes to pursuing a STEM career. All of these factors contribute to gender inequalities that are keeping women out of the STEM field and encouraging them to pursue other career alternatives.

Starting at a young age, girls are discouraged from being interested in science and math. They could be deterred from their parents, their male peers, and even their teachers. Often parents internalize gender roles, and therefore, it can be more difficult for the female to break the gender role; possibly running the risk of either disappointing her family or disappointing society because that’s who set up the traditional gender roles. Parents are more inclined to promote “assertive behavior” in their sons and “emotional sensitivity in their daughters” (Tindall and Hamil 2004). As a result, boys tend to be more assertive in the classroom, and girls tend to display more passive behavior. As the children grow, and boys begin to notice this behavior of their female peers, they may express concerns regarding the sui...

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...ful career and a family may be relevant now, and keep women from pursuing STEM careers, but eventually society must realize how detrimental this mindset can be. Until then, the gender gap will continue to persist.

The gender gap that results in the absence of women in STEM is progressive and persistent. Not only is this an issue of equity, but a lack of female participation in STEM results in a lack of diversity among perspectives regarding solutions to problems and other scientific endeavors. The gender gap in STEM can be seen as the result of several factors including teacher bias in the classroom, a chilly climate from male colleagues as they progress through their careers, little societal support for wanting a career and a family, lacking role models in their study of interest, and an overall lack of science preparation when it comes to pursuing a STEM career.