A Conversation With the Undergraduate Women Leading Change in the Sciences
“As a girl, there are certain things that you have to be careful of because of the patriarchal society that we live in — people don’t take you seriously if you follow traditional ideals of femininity, like having your nails done or dressing up for every occasion. How you present yourself — whether or not you identify as a woman — should not change how people view your professional work.”
In the sciences — and in general, the world — it’s hard to ignore the overbearing presence of men. They make up the majority of department heads in our hospitals, are more likely to be first authors on articles published in high-ranking journals, and are more likely to receive awards and career advancement opportunities in academia. Let’s not forget the ever-present (yet somehow, still ignored) gender wage gap that only grows larger with each passing year, especially for women who belong to other minority groups. The weight of the patriarchy appears to be especially heavy among women in the STEM field, a traditionally masculine industry where the contributions of women often go overlooked. Historically, the population of women with STEM-related degrees has been relatively small, with women largely underrepresented in the professional field — much less in leadership positions. Recently however, this has begun to change, with significant increases in the number of women pursuing an undergraduate degree in a STEM-related field of study. For instance, this past year alone, over 40% of first-year students in UofT’s Electrical and Computer Engineering program were women! Interestingly enough, there has also been an increase in the number of female undergraduate students who hold leadership positions in STEM-related co-curriculars. These women are making meaningful contributions to science at the undergraduate level, starting critical discussions about gender representation and the lack of diversity in STEM, and moreover, helping to improve the visibility of women in science. I was lucky enough to sit down with two such women to discuss the significance of women in power, and how conventional perceptions of femininity have influenced their journey in STEM.
What drove you to become the Co-President and Events Chair of the Science Communications club?
Honestly, I wanted to make the most of my university experience and apply my skills and capabilities in a productive way that would allow me to contribute to a field that — while I initially didn’t know much about — really interested me. I generally find that I can handle quite a bit on my plate, and I felt that this position would open me up to a lot of new opportunities (i.e., socially, academically, professionally), and furthermore, it would allow me to implement a lot of the ideas that I had when I first joined the club in my second year as the Events Coordinator. I mean, if I’m offered these opportunities, why not? I want to do as much as I can before life gets in the way.
Since joining the Science Communications club, what contributions or changes have you made to said club, and to the field of science as a whole?
Since I became Co-President last year, I established club socials as a way of encouraging club engagement and fostering a sense of community among members. In all honesty, the club was still very new when I joined, and wasn’t quite unified, and it could feel lonely at times, so I wanted to make sure that all of our members felt connected to both one another and their work. Also, I kickstarted our club’s first multimedia team, which is responsible for creating short-form videos and other content for our social media accounts. Finally, I’ve also been heavily involved in networking for our club, and have helped find significantly more professional opportunities for our club members.
Do you feel that your gender has influenced your journey in pursuing a degree in STEM in any way, and if so, how?
I find that as a women in STEM … often times people won’t take me seriously, especially because I don’t always follow traditional feminine ideals, but at the same time, when I do act in a more traditionally feminine way — like when I write emails on behalf of the SCC or interact with professional organizations to organize events and opportunities — people still look down on me. It’s quite irritating because I don’t think that being feminine — or not living up to some man’s impossibly-designed standards of femininity — prevents you from being professional. I try not to take it too personally though, because I know that my qualifications trump that of those who look down on my professional work simply because I identify as a woman. There’s really something very satisfying about being able to sway your qualifications over others while also wearing a skirt.
What message do you have for young girls looking to go into a similar field of study/industry? Do you have any regrets, or advice that you would like to pass on to them?
I think that all girls looking to go into STEM should remember what being a woman means — being a woman means being part of a community, and helping out all members of that community. Even though you’re in a male-dominated field, and you may feel alone or like you’re competing with other women, you need to remember that you are equals, and should be building each other up instead of tearing one another down. Once you realize that, you’ll realize that women generally work better together, especially in research environments, because they appreciate each other’s contributions and lean on one another for help and support. This mindset is especially crucial for advancing science as a whole, because at the end of the day we’re all on the same team — we all have the same goal.
How did you decide that you wanted to pursue medicine? Who were your role models or inspirational figures?
Well, when I was younger, I was really accident-prone, and I spent a LOT of time in the ER — I think I would be in the hospital at least once every year. Being in that healthcare environment from a young age really helped drive my interest in medicine, and it helped that I had a lot of support while growing up. All of my science teachers were very helpful, provided me with numerous opportunities, and encouraged my curiosity, and my parents were also very supportive and guided me through quite a few breakdowns, especially around the time that I was writing the MCAT. Also, I know that it’s kind of a cliché answer, but I’ve always loved helping others, and after I discovered my passion for science in high school, I realized that healthcare bridged these interests together and would allow me to pursue a career where I could apply my knowledge to real-life situations, and better connect to patients on a personal level.
What drove you to join HOSA?
Well at first, I was just applying to any club that was remotely interesting to me and that was healthcare-oriented, because I just wanted to make any contribution that I could to a club. In fact, I faced a lot of rejection in the beginning, which was disheartening, but looking back on that experience, I felt that it helped me become stronger and grow as a person, because after all, rejection is just redirection. When I heard about HOSA, I was immediately interested in the club just because of its sheer size — it offered a lot of opportunities for outreach with other university chapters and networking with individuals in the industry. I also really enjoyed that HOSA wasn’t just a “pre-med” club, but covered all aspects of healthcare, which helped me discover all of my potential options for after graduation. I believed that HOSA would offer me the opportunity to branch out with others, allow my ideas to be heard, establish a support network in this competitive academic environment, and really grow into my own and become more confident.
Interestingly, most of HOSA’s executive members are female (12 out of 13), and of HOSA’s trainers, 6 out of 11 trainers are female. Was this intentional or by coincidence? And how would you comment on the fact that while women tend to be the majority in science-oriented courses and extracurriculars, in professional environments (i.e. labs, hospitals/clinics, tenured professorship), women are highly underrepresented?
This is always really funny, because we [the executive team] only became aware of it after we had begun the interview process. It was not a conscious decision at all, it just happened that we did not get a lot of male applicants for the executive team this year. For example, we had only two male applicants for the events team, and of those candidates, one didn’t even bother showing up for the interview process. In general, I feel like there’s a lot of women in STEM — at least in clubs and co-curriculars — because they actually tend to apply for these positions, whereas men generally don’t, and this may be because women tend to be more social and ambitious, and I feel like that’s a crucial aspect of healthcare. One of the benefits of being in a position of power (and of having a predominantly female executive team) is that I can use my platform to shed light on the contributions of women in STEM, allow other women to share their stories and experiences, and also just generally help improve the visibility of women in science.
What message do you have for young girls looking to go into a similar field of study/industry? Do you have any regrets, or advice that you would like to pass on to them?
You should get involved as SOON as you can, and you should not be afraid of rejection or being wrong. It’s important to be open to new experiences and you should take every opportunity to learn — you should have a mindset that focuses on “what can I improve upon?” rather than “what is wrong with me?” Truthfully, to all the young girls out there, you should never be scared to voice your opinion, and you should never let anyone shut you down. Speak up when you can, and show others that you are the right choice through hard work. There have been times where I’ve spoken up and been told to step back — that there’s a certain way that I’m supposed to act and speak just because I’m a female. Now that I’m in university, I’ve just reached a point where I’m tired of it all. I’m not afraid to voice my concerns or opinions anymore, because I’ve found that if you’re passive your entire life, then nothing gets done. People can — and have called me — a bitch for speaking up, but so what? I’d rather let my opinions be heard than be quiet.
With a final thanks to these two wonderful interviewees, I hope they have inspired every woman — not just in STEM but in every field of study — to take action and seek out opportunities to get involved wherever they can. At the very least, I hope they have inspired you to be assertive and to speak up confidently — you have an entire community of women behind you.
