Why do so many women leave their careers in STEM

[Music]

let’s get more girls in stem

how do we get more girls in stem the 9

best stem toys for girls in 2020

if you search girls in stem on google

you get 450 million hits

and this clearly shows our obsession

with getting more girls in stem

i’m sure from stem barbies to coding

camps

you guys have seen it all

getting more girls in science technology

engineering and mathematics careers

is the right thing to do because stem

needs women

and women need stem stem needs a diverse

workforce

to solve the complex problems that just

can’t wait

women also need stem to get a much

deserved seat at the table

and to enjoy the social and economic

benefits

of working in stem professions

currently only 28 women constitute

the workforce in stem jobs in the us

so getting more girls in stem is urgent

and important

but there is only one problem with this

solution

and that is the leaking bucket that’s

waiting for these girls

as soon as they join the stem workforce

studies show that more than 40 women

leave stem jobs in just

five years of starting

so even today where we are statistically

very close

to having over 50 percent women

representing

representation in the undergraduate stem

degree programs

in the us we still only have 28

women in the actual jobs so we’re

getting more girls

into a bucket that’s leaking and are not

really addressing the gender gap

in these professions

which leads me to ask a couple of

intriguing questions

what if keeping women in stem

is more important than getting more

girls in stem

and what if there’s a way to repair this

leaking bucket

as a child i always wanted to be an

engineer

my dad only had two obsessions bollywood

and making me an engineer

my parents constant encouragement and my

role model

the late astronaut kalpana chawla really

paved the path of engineering for me

in 2012 i moved to the us and studied in

the same classroom as her

i was fired up excited and full of

possibilities

after getting my masters in mechanical

engineering i found my dream job in

manufacturing

and i was thoroughly enjoying the first

three to four years of working in stem

until one day i started feeling a little

bit lost

i didn’t know where to go from here i

just couldn’t visualize

the next steps even though kalpana

chawla taught me that no dream is too

big

as a child now as an adult

i wanted to meet relatable women who

were really succeeding

in stem jobs but everywhere i looked

i found the same stem barbies and the

same coding camps

and guess what even i joined forces

in 2017 i started my podcast her stem

story

to get more girls in stem

what started as a way to inspire my 14

year old cousin

and many girls like her

surprisingly started motivating me to

stay in stem

stories like the story of vishakha

malaya

who is a first generation indian

american a computer science engineer

and an lgbtq advocate and a professional

model

really inspired me to explore my

success definition and to believe in my

own brilliance

every week i was interviewing diverse

women

with diverse stem stories

from the ceos to the science

communicators i somehow found them all

the more women i interviewed the more i

realized

that if us women

want to succeed in stem the secret is

to find relatable role models

these women that i was interviewing were

way more than just women

in stem they were paving their unique

path

in stem careers so by diversifying the

pool of role models for myself i was

able to find a solid reason to stay

in stem and share these stories with

other women who might be at the edge of

leaving

if us women want to succeed in stem we

also need to just

look at the 28 women who have stayed in

these professions

understand why they have stayed and how

they define

success we need to find people who can

show us that no dream is too big

but in a more relatable way

who can tell us that stem doesn’t define

us but we define stem

so how do we find these perfect role

models

as women in stem i have some tips for

you

and don’t worry you don’t need to start

a podcast

all you need to do is qualify

potential role models and people in your

existing circles

based on three simple criterias

number one connect with women who are

just

two or three steps ahead of you one of

the biggest mistakes that people make

while looking for role models

is they directly look up to the ceos and

it can feel unrelatable

and overwhelming

the trick is to find women who are only

two or three steps ahead

connect with them on social media and

just observe their journey

their influence is way more powerful

than you realize

i find all my guests almost all my

guests on instagram

and i recommend you do the same just

search women in stem

in the search bar and look for women

that you can relate to

and women who are doing things that you

would like to do

number two search for the struggles this

is where the magic happens people who

share the same struggles as us

can really show us what’s possible

beyond those struggles

and they can give us real insight on how

to overcome them

how to pivot seems to be a common

struggle for women

in stem many of my guests have shared

their struggles

and inspired listeners to pivot like a

pro

like my guest britney stoneberg who

graduated with a

degree in english and then went on

her way to become a paleontologist

really inspired my listeners to think

beyond

what’s possible irrespective of their

educational background

and number three focus on the details

what kills the search for a perfect role

model is

to try to find them in your profession

or your industry

the real trick is to break those rules

and look beyond

look for the commonalities creatively

it’s all in the details but what matters

is what details will you focus on

one of my favorite questions to ask on

the show is

to find out my guest’s favorite book

learning about someone’s favorite book

opens a door to their personality and

what they might have in common with us

when we share commonalities with someone

it’s way easier for us to see ourselves

in them

since finding myself over 100 role

models

i have really fallen in love with my

stem career

i’m happy to report that i’m excelling

at my nine to five

i’ve grown my podcast and have really

defined

what success means to me and i continue

to redefine it as i meet more women

when us women in stem feel continuously

successful and inspired in our stem

careers

and we find that through relatable role

models

that is when we will stay

and grow in stem professions

and the girls that follow us they will

have

more relatable role models and an even

brighter future

instead of a leaking bucket thank you

[Applause]

you