Yes, there are scholarships and student groups and such that are meant to get women interested in STEM. The problem is that these initiatives target women who have already grown up for 18+ years in a society that grooms them to stay away from STEM. A measly $1000 scholarship isn’t going to change the sociology behind that. Look up “Inspire Her Mind commercial.” We often don’t realize that the little things we say discourage girls from wanting to be scientists or engineers. Second, no one is implying that women “don’t know what’s good for them” by not choosing a career in STEM. You wanna be a teacher? Cool, you do you. Third, banter? Yeah, whatever. Make fun of me. I’ll throw it back. Sexual harassment is different. And lastly, maybe you don’t want a kid, but many women do, and yes, if you work in a field that advances so quickly that you can’t take a few months off for maternity, that sucks for you. But for any other field, you shouldn’t have to face harassment or discrimination for wanting to take maternity leave. Fun fact: Employers are not allowed to ask you during an interview if you plan on having children for this very reason.
Yes, there are scholarships and student groups and such that are meant to get women interested in STEM. The problem is that these initiatives target women who have already grown up for 18+ years in a society that grooms them to stay away from STEM. A measly $1000 scholarship isn’t going to change the sociology behind that. Look up “Inspire Her Mind commercial.” We often don’t realize that the little things we say discourage girls from wanting to be scientists or engineers. Second, no one is implying that women “don’t know what’s good for them” by not choosing a career in STEM. You wanna be a teacher? Cool, you do you. Third, banter? Yeah, whatever. Make fun of me. I’ll throw it back. Sexual harassment is different. And lastly, maybe you don’t want a kid, but many women do, and yes, if you work in a field that advances so quickly that you can’t take a few months off for maternity, that sucks for you. But for any other field, you shouldn’t have to face harassment or discrimination for wanting to take maternity leave. Fun fact: Employers are not allowed to ask you during an interview if you plan on having children for this very reason.