“The way we try to recruit girls into STEM fields is all wrong. We typically compare them to some great woman or someone that has gone before them. We are saying, “Hey, you can be like Madam Curie or Sally Ride.” It is recruiting by intimidation. We need to change that message. We need to recruit by appealing to WHY we need them in STEM. We NEED you to help make the world a better place We NEED you to help discover the cure for cancer. We NEED you because you have the ability to change the course of humanity for the better.”
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Tim Holt on why we still see the number of females in STEM fields fall way behind their male counterparts. Also see how geography paved the way for women in science.
I’m sorry, but that wouldn’t have made me join STEM. You either are interested or you aren’t, but lots of women don’t know if they would have liked it until it’s too late. EDUCATION needs to expose girls to science in an engaging and fun way. Real women professionals need to engage young girls and teach them what it means to be a scientist. If they like it, they like it. If they don’t, don’t guilt trip them into it by saying you need them.
