We’ve all come across that phrase ‘I am a woman in STEM’. Largely a celebratory empowering declaration of women excelling in traditionally male-dominated fields and breaking that glass ceiling, and all the power to them, truly. There’s been a real movement in the last few years to encourage more and more young girls to take up interest and one day pursue careers in fields like science and technology. I applaud all these strives inspiring woman and young girls to put their foot in the door to professions that have overlooked them in the past, but this also leads me to my predicament. Should I feel guilty for not being a woman in STEM?
It may sound ridiculous, but the thought has occurred to me on more than a handful of occasions. From early on, my family have always encouraged my love for reading and writing, but I’ve found myself wondering if I would have received the same encouragement under different circumstances. How much is my affinity for literature a result of social conditioning or just natural interest? Was I pushed more in the direction of humanities-based subjects because it was just more expected of me as a girl? By studying a degree in English, an otherwise largely female dominated subject, am I by extension not doing enough to enact change? Is my degree therefore seen as less valuable because I didn’t have to overcome as many obstacles as woman in other fields to be taken seriously? By extension, are my achievements in the subject less impressive? And does me actively choosing to study English make me somehow complacent in the system, by not putting enough effort in to bridge the gender gap in other fields?
These questionings led me to consider wider implication of the ‘I am a woman in STEM’ mantra. Are these doubts themselves not also socially conditioned? How much of this ‘guilt’ is just internalised misogyny speaking, making me believe that more female dominated disciplines are somehow ‘lesser-than’, and not as necessary and influential? From a young age we are often led to believe that things women and girls enjoy are of less significance. Anything from boy-bands to romance novels, and now university degrees. As such, are these intrusive thoughts of not studying something ‘significant enough’ really facts, or just something I’ve been subconsciously taught as a result of men notoriously controlling the narrative? While I completely understand the importance of encouraging woman to take interest in science and technology, I also think it’s important to think about how the label of ‘a woman in STEM’ impacts women in other fields and disciplines, and the ideologies behind these preconceptions. Are women in STEM seen as more intelligent and dedicated to their work because they are, or because it’s a field with considerably more men so it’s automatically viewed somehow as superior? More men do it, so it must be more difficult and far more important, right?
I’m not trying to discredit strives promoting equal access to careers and efforts of gender equality to reduce the gender-gaps in certain disciplines, but I think it’s important to consider the rippling effects. No degree is seemingly ‘better’ than another, nor should any woman be viewed as less intelligent or her work as less significant depending on if she’s studying a humanities or STEM based subject. This may already be obvious to you, and seems like it goes without saying, but I feel like these affirmations are sometimes overlooked or get lost in translation. It’s also important to praise other women without putting yourself down in the process – sometimes you can be your biggest critic. All women should be praised, supported and celebrated in their passions, careers, and the achievements, strives and successes of one woman in a certain field do not take away from your own in another.