It’s a tale as old as time: a young girl dreams about her future career only to be told it’s “a boy’s job”. Throughout her childhood, she will look for female representation in the field she wants to make an impact in, only to be told again that it’s for men. Even when she pursues this career and fights tirelessly to succeed, her success will often be overlooked and discredited by her male counterparts.
It’s a man’s world after all.
History has shown us the outstanding capabilities of women and the unparalleled accomplishments our sisters are capable of. So why is it that even in 2025, people still try to put women in a box?
There are dozens of disappointing sociological, psychological, economical, and systemic reasons that women’s academic and career-driven accomplishments are overlooked. For instance, the gender-wage gap is associated with disparities in access to education, occupational segregation, and workplace treatment.
According to the Center for American Progress, the average full-time woman in the workforce will earn a staggering 83% of what their male counterparts were making for the same work. Furthermore, data shows that on average, African American women make 64% of what their male counterparts make while Latina women only make 57%. This disparaging data reflects a sad and unfortunate truth: the workforce and education have been systemically built against women.
The wage gap is not the only factor threatening women pursuing advanced degrees and careers. It was only in the last fifty years that women were guaranteed access to higher education that receives federal funding under the 1972 Title IX Sex Discrimination Act in the United States. And still, even fifty years after this legislation, female and gender-nonconforming students across the country continue to face gender discrimination in the classroom.
Women face countless difficulties in their education that go beyond the impending exam or a ten-page paper. But even more than the difficulties of challenging courses, women in male-dominated majors struggle to find space among their peers and often do not have female representation in their fields of study.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) majors are typically associated with men while women are associated with Humanities, Arts, Education, and Communications degrees.
There is a staunch, gendered division in academic fields that stems from long-held social norms and stereotypes against women in male-dominated industries. This type of gender biased behavior expects women to pursue fields of work that simply allow for homemaking and child-care while enhancing stereotypes. These outdated views not only limit women’s opportunities and perpetuate a narrow vision of their potential, but also undervalue the importance of women in diverse fields.
The bottom line is that all college majors and life goals are important and take courage to pursue. No matter who you are, what you look like, or your aspirations, you should be proud to be standing where you are today.
Finding their Voices in Male-Dominated Fields
Although being a woman in a male-dominated field of study or career can prove to be challenging and seemingly impossible at times, seeing other outstanding women who have changed the narrative can inspire and create space for more women to succeed in their chosen fields.
STEM
In 1903, Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize for shared work in physics and went on to win an additional Nobel Prize in 1911 for her work in radioactive chemistry. In 1921, Bessie Coleman became the first African American and Native American woman to hold a pilot’s license; after American Pilot’s schools denied her entry based on her gender and the color of her skin, she defied all odds, learning French and moving to Europe to earn her wings. In 1963, Valentina Tereshkova of Soviet Russia became the first woman in space; and twenty years later, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space.
Government & Leadership
In 1933, Frances Perkins became the first woman to serve as a Presidential Cabinet member and was preceded by Jeannette Rankin who was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1917 before women even had the right to vote. In addition to being the first African American woman to hold a seat in Congress, Shirley Chrisholm was also the first woman and African American to seek nomination for the US presidency from one of the two major political parties in 1972. In 1987, Wilma Mankiller became the first woman elected as the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
And more recently, Tammy Duckworth became the first Senator to give birth while holding a seat in the US Senate in 2018. In 2020, Sarah McBride became the first openly transgender State Senator, representing the state of Delaware. And in 2021, Kamala Harris became the first woman, African-American, and Asian-American to be sworn in as the Vice President of the United States, going on to run for the 2024 Presidential Candidacy and representing the Democratic Party.
Athletics
In 1966, Bobbi Gibb became the first woman to run the entirety of the Boston Marathon, dodging angry bystanders trying to stop her the entire way, and in 1975, Junko Tabei became the first woman to successfully climb Mt. Everest. In 2008, Cammi Granato became the first woman inducted into both the US Hockey Hall of Fame and the International Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. As late as 2015, Kristen Griest and Shaye Haver became the first women to graduate from Army Ranger school amongst 94 of their male peers and fellow Rangers. And in 2023, Simone Biles, US gymnast, became the most decorated gymnast of all time, winning 21 titles across her long and remarkable career.
Arts & Entertainment
Edith Wharton, author of The Age of Innocence, Ethan Frome, and The House of Mirth and over forty other works, became the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in fiction. In 1962, Rita Moreno became the first Latina to win an Oscar and in 1977, she became the first Latina EGOT Winner (a term referring to those who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). In 2008, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director for her work on The Hurt Locker. In 2021, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson became the first African American women to receive an Oscar for Hair and Makeup for their work on Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Female-aligned experiences have shown improvement in recent years, but there is much progress to be made. Systemic oppression towards women, especially women of color, creates challenges to enter the workforce, as well as access to higher education necessary for their careers. The importance of highlighting women who achieve ‘firsts’ in their field is that they had to overcome much larger hurdles to get to where they are today. For young girls witnessing history (or should I say HER-story), having representation is the difference between inspiration and another reason that they shouldn’t chase their dreams.
Women are going to go above and beyond in their fields of study, no matter what it is, because strong and empowered women continue to move mountains for their dreams. I am especially proud to see it in my own campus community and specifically in my Her Campus community.
Whether you want to be a mom or an astrophysicist, a teacher or a doctor, a dancer or a welder––chase your dreams with confidence. Never let someone tell the little girl inside of you that you are not capable because the world needs women in every field. No matter the hurdles or bounds, burst through them with the knowledge that you are incredible.