All You Need is the Courage to Try
By Nitya Parthasarathy, senior at Northwood High School and Regeneron Science Talent Search 2018 finalist
In the 8th grade, I temporarily wanted to be a doctor because of the fire inside me that made me want to give back to my community. Immediately I was bombarded with questions like: “Are you sure? Don’t you want a family? It’ll be too late to have children once you finish medical school and you will be so busy.” Yes, I was in 8th grade and yes, I learned to not share my aspirations to be a doctor again, to avoid inviting discouraging statements like these.
To understand the biases I’ve experienced and witnessed, I decided to start my own research project and read information on gender bias. I specifically wanted to understand the effects of social media on daily life and our society. After watching a Meryl Streep interview where she reported that most reviews are written by men, slanting the scores we see on aggregators like Rotten Tomatoes, I was inspired to focus my own work on movie reviews.
You could say that all my life I’ve been both inspired and influenced by what I’ve seen on the big and small screen. Television and film have served as an escape from reality, pushing me toward my dreams.
Some of my fondest memories consist of watching the Harry Potter movies with my family. The shared laughter and collective sigh as Hagrid sends Harry back to 4 Privet Drive created memories I’ll cherish forever.
I inserted myself into every series I watched. I lived the small-town life in Gilmore Girls’ Stars Hollow, leading me to crave a close-knit community. I worked with Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory, studying theoretical physics. Television gave me a rough estimate of who I strive to be: a gentle but formidable, driven but happy, curious but content woman.
As much as I love these shows and movies — I know all too well that media has a downside too. It has the power to create a sense of dissatisfaction due to half-concealed stigmas.We can be influenced by subconscious messaging without even realizing it.
Some of my favorite romantic comedies portrayed the geeky girl as an outsider who finally shines when she removes her glasses and applies make-up. My favorite television shows depicted an Asian character who served as comic relief instead of being a successful role model. One message consistently delivered: what society desires from me is not individuality or intelligence, but rather beauty and perfection. Women aren’t always taught to have an inquisitive mind, but rather to attain unachievable body standards.
Biased statements, though common, can be detrimental to a woman’s self-perception and esteem. This past summer, I remember my dad telling my brother to “stop acting like a girl” when he cried about not getting boba tea. I hear biased statements putting women down, not just from my dad, but from everyone around me.
While my male friends are referred to as “strong and smart,” I’m praised for being “pretty and caring.”
So, what did I find in my research on gender bias?
For my Regeneron Science Talent Search project, I used statistical analysis to study the distance between words, finding that while women are typically described with stereotypically female adjectives like “petite” or “soft,” men are described with both male and female adjectives. Using machine learning, I created a novel computer algorithm that could detect these biases. The algorithm has the ability to guess whether the singular pronouns, “he” or “she,” is used in a sentence.
It took me 17 years to learn one key point: all you need is the courage to try. Find something you are passionate about and never let anyone get in the way because the point is not to be perfect, but to have drive and determination. I think every child, and especially girls in STEM, are expected to have their lives planned out. They are pressured into fitting a mold, thereby inhibiting their creativity. But there is more to life than that. When I turn on the television, I’m filled with promise that I can be anything I want to be. One day, I hope to achieve my goals, and I hope every other girl will believe in themselves too.
