Pledge for Parity in STEM Fields for This Year’s International Women’s Day

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day – held every year on March 8th – is “Pledge for Parity.” It is time for each one of us to take a moment to make a pledge to take real, tangible steps toward creating an egalitarian society. There are many challenges that women still face in today’s modern world that men do not – especially in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Women face a shortage of female mentors, a lack of acceptance from co-workers and supervisors, encounter differences in communication styles, misidentification (being mistaken for administrative staff), questioning of qualifications or expertise, biases against women with children or women perceived to be likely to have children in the near future, and isolation.

Yet, there are certainly women that have changed the course of science and it is a shame that more women aren’t encouraged to join a STEM field. Some women that have made important contributions to science fields are familiar names like Marie Curie and Ada Lovelace, but there are other women that might be surprising. Hedy Lamarr, a film star from the 1930’s, was also a brilliant inventor that paved the way for today’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology.

We must work harder to get more girls and women involved in STEM. How?

Little steps will eventually make a big impact ….

Two little Steps

  • Try recommending these websites of multiple professional organizations to girls and young women you know such as  Society of Women Engineers, Women in Technology International, Association for Women in Mathematics and Association of Women in Science. These resources present a wonderful opportunity to learn a great deal about the field, about what it’s like to be a woman in a specific STEM profession, about career opportunities such as to name just a few.
  • Know someone or maybe you are a women currently working in STEM then…. why don’t you become a role model for Wise (a campaign to promote Women In Science, technology and engineering).   Being a  visible role model not only will boast your personal profile but it could help thousands of other young women climbing up the ladder.

Remember: Real Girl Power is about helping each other up the ladder.