Women in STEM

I have increasingly become a reluctant participant in the women in STEM initiatives that I get pulled into mentor at sometimes. As much as I want to help these young ladies love and learn subjects I am familiar with, I don't see these events as serving useful purpose. The girls are being shoved there against their will and the lack of interest and ownership is all too evident. It is also true that J veered off of STEM just because other subjects interested her more. The love of math, the curiosity about physical sciences was not enough for her to envision a career and future in STEM. She felt her passions and talent lay elsewhere.

I meet lot of girls like J who make for unwilling and disengaged mentees until I ask them about what they really love doing. That is when they light up and start to talk. This author is right that such initiatives are failing both STEM and the girls. There should be no shame or stigma attached to not wanting a career in STEM and worse to attribute that to being female and somehow being naturally disinclined. 

Creating an artificial pipeline, and shoving girls who are lukewarm about STEM as a career, through it will only ensure drop-off later on in their career. I often tell the teens I have mentored that I could have been happier perhaps in a non-STEM career and it is something they need to think about. However, I am very grateful to have had a strong STEM foundation coming out of high-school. It opens doors to opportunities that they may or may not choose to pursue. But the open doors are great to have.