Women in STEM

They broke all the barriers, especially the gender barrier. They're the leaders who revolutionized the world and the internet. They are the ones who fight within the navy and air force as well as save lives in hospitals. They are the ones who unveil minor structures like DNA and take on major NASA planetary science projects. They are the women in STEM and they are the inspirational role models for young girls dreaming of a career in science.

Women have been responsible for some of the major scientific breakthroughs that shaped the modern world. From Marie Curie’s discoveries about radiation, to Grace Hopper’s groundbreaking work on computer programming, and Barbara McClintock’s pioneering approach to genetics, STEM has had some major contributions from female scientists and mathematicians.

Currently, women make up only 28% of the total workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The gender gaps are particularly high in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paid jobs of the future, like computer science and engineering. Also, there is a dramatic drop in numbers at PhD level, and the discrepancy gets wider still at researcher level. Globally 72% of scientific researchers are men. A wide gender gap has persisted over the years at all levels of STEM disciplines throughout the world. Only one in five countries achieve what is classed as 'gender parity' with women making up 45%-55% of researchers.

Women continue to be underrepresented in STEM but too often their stories aren’t just about the difficulties they faced in cracking some of the toughest problems in science, but also about overcoming social and professional obstacles just because of their gender. And let's appreciate such stories in this post.

Amongst the small pool of female Nobel laureates, Marie Curie, together with her husband, was awarded half of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903, for their study into the spontaneous radiation discovered by Becquerel, who was awarded the other half of the Prize. In 1911 she received a second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, in recognition of her work in radioactivity.

NASA, where women are still a huge minority, Dr. Ellen Ochoa became the first Hispanic woman to go to space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 1993. She has flown in space four times, logging nearly 1,000 hours in orbit and then later came to be named director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

At one point, an advisor told Lydia Villa-Komaroff that women did not belong in chemistry but she pursued her passion in spite of opposition. Villa-Komaroff made waves with a published paper detailing her most notable discovery that bacteria could be engineered to produce human insulin and is considered to be a trailblazer in the field of molecular biology.

Katherine Johnson, a space scientist and mathematician has made enormous contributions to America’s aeronautics and space programs by her incorporation of computing tools is now retired, and continues to encourage students to pursue careers in science and technology fields. There have been so many females who have immensely contributed to the field of science and every single contribution is worth appreciation and celebration.

The incomplete exploitation of women's potential in STEM areas constitutes an important lost opportunity for society. However, women face multiple barriers that prevent their recruitment, retention, and promotion along the entire STEM career path.

Gender stereotypes, fewer role models, negative workplace issues and male dominated culture seemingly affects the role of women in STEM. Some women are put off careers in science because of the difficulty of combining work with family life.

There are some organizations and programs who are working to encourage young women to pursue science and mathematics by making and implementing various policies, providing scholarships and committing to gender mainstreaming.

India has seen a substantial increase in women studying and working in STEM, that was once seen as a masculine discipline. With more women entering the field and being widely celebrated, encourages young girls to dream of their career in STEM and pursue them as this generation of women will drive discoveries and innovations, and the world will be a safer and better place for it.