Women in Male Dominated Work Fields
Today, women only hold 27% of all computer science job. Only about 20% of women are actually studying computer science in college and that number is not growing. Many people believe that there should not be any gender dominated jobs but unfortunately that is not the case. Many girls are put down or afraid to pursue their dream jobs because it might be severely male dominated. The older girls get, the more they start to think that their dreams of going to college for engineering, science, or technology is not within reach simply because they are not men and those fields are male dominated. Women are less likely to be hired in a science, technology, engineering or math majoring job which is an issue because it should not matter whether you are a man or a woman, everyone should have equal rights when applying for a job.
Molly Triffin of Dailyworth published an article, “6 Standout Women in Male-Dominated Industries”, which told about a woman named Ruth Jones. Ruth Jones is a Mishap Investigation Specialist at the NASA Safety Center. Any career having to do with science is severely male dominated but she wanted to challenge herself, and it was her dream to work with NASA. “Although not many people where I’m from go to college, I knew that if I didn’t get out of there I’d end up flipping burgers or working in the casino.” Jones became the first woman to graduate from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff with a science degree in physics. She has received many comments about how women shouldn’t go into the science field or have PhDs but she didn’t let it bother her because she knew who she was and what she was doing. She wanted to break the stereotype of women just cooking and cleaning at home because she was taught from a young age that she could do anything she wanted to as long as she put her mind to it.
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is building a STEM pipeline for girls and women. This is a national organization, but they are located in Washington, D.C. The AAUW helps educate girls and women about STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering and math. They want to get away from gender identity and help women get into fields that they might be scared of because it is severely dominated by men, and women would be outnumbered. By the end of high school, fewer and fewer girls plan to pursue STEM in college. The AAUW’s main focus is to promote STEM to schools and show girls that they do not have to go to into a field that is only “for their gender”. In 1985, there were only two female CEOs of companies, and today there are 24. They have been empowering women since 1881 and plan to make an even bigger impact by reaching out to all schools in the nation. Although they do not accept volunteers, anybody can donate to the American Association of University Women.
Women are the future of America and by working together to raise awareness for jobs for women, it will help many young girls achieve their dreams and change their lives. Nobody should be afraid to enter into a work field for any reason so by educating young girls, we can help them pursue their dreams of working in a science field.
Works Cited
"6 Standout Women in Male-Dominated Industries." DailyWorth. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.
"STEM Education." AAUW Empowering Women Since 1881 STEM Education Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.