The best answer for this “Manifesto”?
By now, most of us have read, discussed, been shocked by, and agonized over the “manifesto” of an ex-Google employee, which claimed the gender gap in STEM is due to “biological” causes.
As an aspiring entrepreneur, the president of Stanford WiCS, and the founder of LITAS For Girls, a nonprofit mentoring young women in STEM, I am probably the target audience for this issue.
But more than for myself, I feel compelled to say something for the young women I’ve met through my nonprofit through the years — for the middle and high school girls who look to STEM as a way to improve their lives, and as their best way to contribute to the world.
This “manifesto” is rife with factual inaccuracies, and many excellent pieces have pointed that out. But the anger and fear that I and other women experienced from this doesn’t really stem from the false facts.
Rather, we fear that this manifesto gives voice to the unspoken opinion of every individual that we work with; that we are impostors, that our success represents luck and handouts rather than hard work.
And unspoken opinions are the ones that are the most dangerous, because they cannot be fought with facts and figures and logical arguments alone. I know because I’ve tried, and am tired of it.
So I say, instead, let us fight these prejudices with action. Who could have told me that women could not be engineers, when my mother was a chemical engineer? Who will be able to tell a girl she does not belong in STEM, if the CEO of the world’s largest tech company is a woman?
So mentor women in your workplace; reach out to girls studying science. Let’s make this future real. Connect with me, and my nonprofit, LITAS. We’re working harder than ever — expanding our online curriculum for girls worldwide, increasing our number of summer incubators, and doubling down on our after-school chapters. We want to partner with you.
This is a battle, and like most battles, it will be won by actions and not words. This “manifesto” has challenged all of us who believe in equality, and the best answer is a deluge of successful women.
