Why are toys labbeled "For Boys" and "For Girls"?
When you walk into any toy store, try buying a toy that is mathematic, challenging and experimental. Chances are you will find them in the section labelled ‘For Boys' or in packaging that clearly dictates ‘Blue’ and ‘Boys’.
Now try buying a toy for a girl. Chances are you will come across pretty, delicate, pink cooking utensils, kitchen sets, vacuum cleaners, micro wave ovens, plastic fruits, dolls, doll dresses… the list is endless.
Do you see a pattern? No? Take a close look at the cover photos I had taken the other day at a toy store:
(See Cover Photo)
Isn’t that interesting? The Pink Pony is for girls while the fearless Toothless dragon is for boys. Now that I have your attention, let’s talk STEM.
This is called bias. It is implicit bias against girls and if we really look we find it everywhere. At homes, in classrooms, corridors, play grounds, parties. Everywhere. What does this bias mean for girls and our society? This kind of bias has led to a huge disparity in many fields of work, education and life. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are some areas that have seen lukewarm interest and perseverance by girls and women because of this obvious bias that exists all around us. No one is actually telling them they can't pursue these careers (let me reverse that abit - some are being told that, even in the most affluent of classrooms and homes), but the message is there - loud and clear for all boys and girls.
62 million girls are being denied education worldwide (Yousafzai, 2015). Unfortunately, this is not a new trend. Neither is it a diminishing one. What’s more, although there is no difference between girls and boys in terms of performance in science related areas, girls have been shown to perform better than boys in literacy while boys outperform girls in math (OECD, 2011). Research has shown that girls are less likely to choose Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) subjects to pursue in higher education even if they manage to complete high school (OECD, 2011). A 2015 study by OECD on females graduating by field of study highlighted the disparity. “Around 64% of bachelor’s degrees awarded in education, humanities and social sciences went to women compared to only 31% of the bachelor’s degrees awarded in sciences and engineering” (OECD, 2015).
Women currently make up approximately 20% of workforce in STEM, particularly in IT and Engineering. Predictions state there will be more than a million jobs in US alone which will be computer-science related but the current capacity rate will only be able to fill 30% of those jobs.
Take a moment. Think about these statistics. With the current number of students pursuing these careers, we don't have enough people in thevery-near future to innovate, create, work, invent and find solutions to world problems.
We DON'T.
So where do we look?
Furthermore, research has shown that women in STEM earn around 33% more than their non-STEM counterparts (Mclaughlin, 2016).
33%!
Having more girls pursue STEM related education and careers will not only help in alleviating unemployment and increase number of potential workforce but also help towards bridging the pay-gap in workforce, thus targeting and helping to achieve the United Nation’s following sustainability goals:
Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
We need to begin at home, at our classrooms, in our corridors, playgrounds, all around our children to bring in more explicit actions, words, practices to diminish the implicit bias against Girls in STEM. We need daddies, mommies, grandpas, grandmas, uncles, aunts, cousins, neighbours, teachers, assistant teachers, curriculum leaders. We need everyone on board.
Are you ready?
Works Cited
Hanif, N., 2015. More than 1,600 pupils drop out from UAE schools, Abu Dhabi: The National UAE.
Mclaughlin, D., 2016. How careers in STEM can close the wage gap for women, Daily News. [Online] Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/post/edit/6412832560908464129
OECD, 2011. Report on the Gender Initiative: Gender Equality in Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship, Paris: OECD Council at Ministerial Level.
OECD, 2015. Education at a glance 2015, Paris: OECD Publishing .
StemtoSteam.org, 2018. STEM to STEAM. [Online] Available at: http://stemtosteam.org/
World Economic Forum 2017`, 2018. The Global Gender Gap Report Special Report 2017. 2017 ed. Geneva: Work Economic Forumn.
Yousafzai, M., 2015. Malala Yousafzai: Our leaders are still choosing bombs over girls' education, UK: The Telegraph.
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