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