Women in Conservation
Promoting Diversity in the STEM Workforce
By Karen Tingley
March 29, 2019
[Note: this is the sixth in a series of blogs by WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) staff celebrating “Women in Conservation” in recognition of Women’s History Month]
Innovations in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) have had significant impacts on all aspects of human life and the natural world. Yet as the technical challenges facing modern civilization become ever more complicated, we as a society need original ideas more than ever. And when people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives come together, their varied perspectives lead to inventive solutions.
While diversity in the STEM workforce is necessary, significantly fewer women than men pursue STEM careers. One reason for this disparity is that many young girls don’t identify a STEM career as personally relevant or attainable. Their experience and understanding of what STEM is — and who can participate in that field — is skewed due to a consistent visual representation of predominantly white men working in laboratories. We see this most obviously when children are asked to draw a scientist.
Because young people create their identity in part through images and through the people they encounter in their lives and in the media, the low representation of women in STEM settings has led some young women to be hesitant in pursuing work in science and tech fields.
Diversity in the STEM workforce cannot expand until we disrupt the notion of who can be a STEM professional and what a STEM professional does.
To confront this challenge and shift the existing outdated perception we must tell the inspiring stories of STEM professionals in fields ranging from fashion and architecture to entertainment and conservation. Indeed, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), where I work, is one of the world’s largest science-based conservation organizations, employing thousands of people from around the globe with backgrounds and experiences as diverse as the species they protect.
“There are thousands of women in STEM who can influence young people looking for validation of their interests and motivation to solve our world’s most complex problems.”
My own STEM work as an informal science education leader includes science curriculum planning, creating a cross-sector workforce development program, and advocating across the field of zoos and aquariums for equitable access to science for all. This unique STEM career was not part of my plan. It grew out the mentoring, representation, and inclusive spirit that I was fortunate to encounter in my formative years in college.
My STEM career started as a work study student in the education department at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. When I began working at the museum, I thought it would be a slight upgrade from the hundreds of available administrative office jobs. Little did I know that the woman who hired me, Diane Grzybek, would quickly became both a powerful role model and inspiring mentor.
“I was a young woman with no science background from a small rural community. In Diane I saw a future, a pathway, and a place where my voice and perspective could matter.”
Diane created a supportive work environment that promoted equity and access to the museum and its staff for her young team of interns. I regularly interacted with science educators and scientists (many of whom were women). These individuals were passionate about their research and demonstrated the power of curiosity, transparency, and an open mind.
Many of these professionals were women who discussed their STEM career pathways and challenges they had overcome. I was a young woman with no science background from a small rural community. In them I saw a future, a pathway, and — above all — a place where my voice and perspective could matter.
That’s a powerful reminder that representation matters. The people we see in the media and encounter in our daily lives directly influence how we see ourselves and measure our potential. There are thousands of women in STEM who can influence millions of young people looking for validation of their interests and motivation to solve some of our world’s most complex problems through science and technology.
Karen Tingley is Executive Director for Education, Zoos & Aquarium at WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society).
