Women and STEM, Sealing the "Leaky Pipeline"

This problem is often described as a ‘leaky pipeline’, where we lose females from the start of their education well into their careers. There is a decline in female interest in STEM as early as elementary school. This is likely due to unfounded gender stereotypes surrounding math and science, such as girls are bad at math and only geeky kids like science. By the time high school seniors are graduating, a substantial gender gap exists in male vs. female interest in pursuing a STEM degree. In college, gender stereotypes persist. These issues are compounded by the educational environment, a perception of ‘not being good enough’, lack of a STEM identify, and perhaps a shortage of female peers/mentors. Once women graduate and get jobs in the STEM field, they are rewarded with lower pay than their male counterparts; in Utah, the worst rated state for the gender pay gap, women make only $0.70 for every dollar a man makes. Attrition of women in STEM fields persists, as over 40% of women leave a full-time science job after having their first child (compared to 23% of men). The upshot of this leaky pipeline is that we end up with a dearth of women in STEM jobs that are creative, lucrative, and important. 

You may be one of these women trekking at some stage on this STEM path or you might be working alongside them. Remember that knowledge is power. Understanding potential pitfalls mean you can navigate them better, or at least work to reduce their effect on you. But just knowing about common pitfalls doesn’t mean you can avoid them altogether. Just ask any of your female professors about their experience with the ‘leaky pipeline’; everyone has a story. I went to college wanting to be an engineer. My freshman year schedule included Calculus, General Chemistry, and Physics. I was completely overwhelmed and intimidated in my physics class, where I didn’t understand what was going on nor did I feel like I belonged. Although I wasn’t super interested in chemistry as a career, I felt like at least it made sense so I decided to try another chemistry class. As is common for women, my interest in chemistry grew with my confidence in my ability. I didn’t really love chemistry until I worked on a summer undergraduate research project, which inspired me to move on to a medicinal chemistry graduate program. Despite milestones of success on my STEM path, I never felt like a chemist and I often questioned my credibility to be in the room. This is so common that it is actually given a name: Imposter Syndrome. I still struggle with it today. However, I have been both purposeful and lucky to have supportive and encouraging advisors, mentors, family, and friends along my path.

So despite any negative statistics out there, this is YOUR path and you get to choose where to take it. Importantly, you are not alone. Surround yourself with friends who cheer you, peers who collaborate with you, and mentors who value you. Get involved in research to inspire you. Join student clubs to empower you. Seek out help where you need it. You belong here. And if you forget that, I know many faculty with open doors—mine included—who will be happy to remind you of it.  

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