It cannot be denied that there has always been a significant gap in the ratio of men to women who are studying a field related to STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).
Although this gap has been somewhat reduced in recent years, there is still a long void to fill, with many women working in STEM fields accounting for less than one-third of those employed in the sector.
As someone who is interested in a completely different career area (media student for life) I decided to speak to one of my friends who has experienced the lack of women in STEM first-hand.
Katie Burrowes is a student in DCU who is in her second year of studying science education, a course that focuses heavily on STEM subjects.
When I questioned Katie about her choice of study, she informed me that she has “always been interested in how the world works”.
As she wishes to become a teacher when she completes her course of study, she feels “a need” to learn about subjects such as maths and science, and thus pass her knowledge and sincere interest in these subjects onto her future students.
Her own passion stemmed (get it?) from people in her life, who sparked her curiosity and continue to influence her today.
“My sister completed the course that I’m doing two years ago, she has always paid a particular interest to maths and science too.”
Adding, “Even though my dad didn’t complete secondary school, he was also always really good at maths and used to help us with our homework”.
Katie then acknowledged that she had chosen a male-dominated career path. She also conceded that the gap in the industry is vast, which in her opinion is due to the mindset of previous generations.
She recognises that STEM careers used to be identified as a “boy’s club”, which no doubt discouraged many women from pursuing a career in the industry. “It can be tough when you start but we are going to be the change that’s needed.
You can already see a difference now; in my course there are more girls than boys and in other colleges the numbers are beginning to even out as well”.
Although this change can be seen, it is understandable that Katie sometimes feels that she must “prove herself”.
She does not feel that being a woman in STEM has held her back in a professional way, in relation to her lecturers and her assignments.
But sometimes she feels as if it is easy to be perceived as “bossy” or even “b*tchy” if you are a woman who wishes to progress and strive to meet your goals in this industry.
Despite the problems associated with being a woman in the STEM industry, it is obvious that Katie’s mindset remains positive, as firmly believes that hard work will get you everywhere.
She is someone who I look up to as she has not let any negative experiences sway her decision to study this area.
And It’s a guarantee that she would have been one of the teacher’s that I liked in back secondary school (which was a rare occurrence).