Not Just For Boys

[Music]

[Applause]

28

28 that is the percentage

of how much women make up the workforce

in stem

which stands for science technology

engineering and math the lack of women

in stem

is a problem that is not brought up

enough

and definitely not talked about enough

which is why we

all will spread the word here on el i

know we will

just take it in and think all of you

this issue if it keeps moving in the

negative way it’s going

will cause problems for our future these

women

and girls are actually helping all of us

when doing stem

because they are solving global problems

according to builtbyme.com technology is

developing at such a rapid speed

that there is an increased number of

jobs in stem

however the number

the majority of jobs are still

underrepresented by women

in addition the site also states that

there is a positive trend

of women choosing stem subjects in

college

however the gender gap continues to grow

and in the future there will be fewer

women with stem degrees

that is specifically what we do not want

i want to encourage other girls to

understand the beauty of stem

because i know that they are capable if

their minds are set on it

according to the american association of

university women

there are four main issues that

perpetuate the problem

number one gender stereotypes

stem fields are often viewed as

masculine and

teachers and parents often underestimate

girls math abilities

starting as early as preschool

number two male dominated cultures

because fewer women work and study in

stem

these fields tend to perpetuate

inflexible exclusionary

male-dominated cultures that are not

supportive of

or attractive to women and minorities

we need to have more equal work in stem

once again

women may not be going based on liking

since it is all male dominated

that is not fair number three

fewer role models girls have fewer role

models to inspire their interests in

these fields

seeing limited examples of female

scientists and engineers

in books media and popular culture

there are even fewer role models of

black women in math and science

the number one thing to have while in

stem

is a role model for motivation and

inspiration

you want to see those women who have or

have had the life that you want

and follow in their footsteps but

without many women role models

this cannot be done so i encourage

you girls and women in stem to keep on

going

and keep on trying for those future

generations

never give up and last but not least

number four math anxiety teachers who

are predominantly women

often have math anxiety that they pass

on to girls

and great girls harder for the same work

that boys do

some also assume that girls have to work

harder to achieve the same level as boys

now i truly believe that judgment

and stereotypes are big factors within

this problem

women are judged when they enter into

scum stem careers

since they are not fit for it this is

very

inaccurate stem is only based on two

things

your passion and your skill

not your gender

stem has been my passion ever since i

was a little girl

it has deep meaning for me but i’ve

never

realized how much of a problem it was

until this past year

this past year was when my eyes were

opened up towards

inequality and i knew i had to do

something

now you want to see an example of a

woman in stem

look at me here two of my major stem

achievements

are number one aauw tech trek

when i heard that the american

association of university women offered

this program

i was beyond excited i knew was

something i definitely wanted to get

involved in

this program has offered me many new

opportunities

and helped me realize my deep and true

love for stem

i also saw other girls there that had

the same passion as me

and realized that if we all continue to

do the work

and spread the word about the lack of

women in stem

we could bring up that percentage

difference due to covit 19

the camp was online but that did not

stop me from putting on my stem hat

and showing my true skill another stem

related program that i am involved in is

called

be wise it is a six-year program

that is filled with many stem workshops

this program has also offered me many

new opportunities

and will continue to do so throughout

the next several years

now here’s a fun bonus for any girl

who’s a 7th or 8th grade student

these two programs will introduce them

to the real world

of science technology engineering

and math

now all of you

i want you all to close your eyes and

imagine

think about how you might solve the lack

of women in stem

this is in no way a one-person problem

this takes a community coming from all

different backgrounds and passions

we do not want this to be an ongoing

inequality

we want it to stop but today is not

where we

stop it is only

the beginning overall the world of stem

is filled with many opportunities

challenges lots of fun and especially

dedication once again if you set your

mind to it

it can and will be done

before i go i want you all to give me

your biggest

and your loudest cheer cheers to fixing

the lack of women in stem

[Applause]

cheers to inspiration into motivation

and cheers to all those women and girls

who continue to follow their passion for

stem

no matter what

cheers to all