How Stereotypes Play a Role in the Limited Number of Women in Science
By Krithika Iyer, senior at Plano East Senior High School and Regeneron Science Talent Search 2017 finalist
When Vrinda Madan won ninth place at the Regeneron Science Talent Search, she couldn’t believe it. The stunned face said it all. Her shock morphing into unmitigated joy was one of the sweetest moments at the awards gala. However, this disbelief may point towards a more disturbing trend in the confidence levels of women in STEM.
Curious about this trend, I surveyed more than half of the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2017 finalists and found that girls were more likely to hesitate when answering interview questions, despite knowing the answers. When asked a difficult question, 55 percent of girls said they hesitated before giving the first answer they thought of, yet more than 82 percent said their first answers were mostly right. On the other hand, 29 percent of boys said they hesitated, despite having only 59 percent say they gave mostly right answers (what’s more — 12 percent of the boys said their first answer was completely incorrect, as opposed to zero percent of girls).
It’s intriguing when looking at how the finalists interacted. Some girls said that they were more inclined to go with the answer a boy said — even if their answer was just as good. The steep difference in percentages, even among the most brilliant young women in science, highlights an important point: internal barriers are ubiquitous in women.
It comes down to perception. “Constantly being told that ‘science isn’t for girls,’ it’s only natural that young women question their own abilities and are less confident than their male counterparts. This has created an almost self-fulfilling prophecy,” says Madan.
Why isn’t science for girls? Combating illiteracy, treating brain injury and preventing collisions in space — does gender truly affect a person’s ability to solve these problems? In short, the answer is no — female Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists made discoveries in these areas.
Why does this “imposter syndrome” continue to exist? While this is a complex problem, some answers can be found looking at societal norms. For example, consider Halloween costumes. Young boys dress up as superheroes, race car drivers and crazy scientists — unrestrained characters who embody power and intellect. Girls dress up as princesses. The stereotypes continue as they grow older. Young women are conditioned to embrace their nurturing and beautiful nature. As they get older, society dictates that they should want marriage and kids. It’s no surprise, therefore, that only 6.7percent of women graduate with STEM degrees. Somewhere, it seems, we have forgotten that all the Disney princesses the little girls dressed up as actually shunned societal norms to achieve something great for themselves.
We need to start telling women that there is a place for women at the table. More than that, we need them at the table. Diversity in STEM is not just the product of a “politically correct” culture. Without women working on the pressing problems of today, we cannot expect diverse solutions that cater to all people. Knowing that we need to harness the potential of the full population for continuous innovation, we need to stop perpetuating the harmful stereotypes that discourage women from engaging in STEM. At the forefront is the astonishing lingering perception that men simply have a greater aptitude for science than women.
“Women need to be able to look in the mirror and say they see the future of science,” says Jessika Baral, another 2017 Science Talent Search Finalist.
I had my epiphany moment at the Regeneron Science Talent Search. The entire week was a celebration of science, and achievement was never measured by gender. Sitting in a room being asked questions I barely knew the answer to, I realized that I truly wanted to be a scientist. Because in that moment, I knew I was ready. Despite not knowing many of the answers to these wide-array of scientific questions, I had the ability to create algorithms to improve access to education. I finally understood that was all that was required to get into science: passion and never-ending questions. Science isn’t gender-specific in any shape or form. And it’s time we stop artificially making it that.
