Have you ever been in a room where you felt completely isolated? As though the space was created without you in mind? This is not unusual for women in STEM, including some female members of White Station High School (WSHS) clubs. Many girls hesitate to enter male-dominated programs because of fear they will feel out of place, as women involved in STEM continue to be a minority.
“I thought I’d be laughed at if I went to the interest meeting,” Emma Wei (12), a member of the Computer Science Association and the Robotics Club, said. “Since there’s so many guys, if you go to a meeting, you don’t know who you’ll be able to talk to.”
Even outside of high school organizations, the field of robotics is also male-dominated. Debate continues over women’s roles and how they should be treated within different occupations. Often, women feel they are underestimated when they enter STEM competitions or events. Here at WSHS, all students are treated the same, but there is a difference in dynamics among certain groups.
“I wouldn’t say I’m treated differently, but there’s a difference between who talks with who in robotics … the girls are doing their own thing and the guys are doing their own thing,” Eva Stidum (10) said.
According to the National Science Board, in 2021 there were about 2.75 men for every one woman in science and engineering fields, meaning that the women were greatly outnumbered. Women in STEM face social stigma because of the lack of visibility, awareness and representation for them in the field. Amy Yu (12) is the president of GEMX, Code Mentors and the math team. For her, this stigma was especially present as a new member of these clubs.
“There was a huge social stigma of girls in STEM,” Yu said. “I remember when I was doing STEM, there were no girls at competitions and no girls that had ever won awards, too. I remember thinking, ‘Is this a field that I can pursue? Have other girls done this too?’”
Male-dominated clubs at WSHS include robotics, quizbowl and the math team. There has been an increase of female leadership though. Specifically, this year Yu will be the first female president for the Mu Alpha Theta State Convention, a student-led convention with math competitions at the high school level.
“I like the community part … you form really strong bonds,” Yu said. “GEMX is more focused on tutoring kids, and since those kids are struggling, they’re usually underrepresented. Over time they grow confidence in themselves, especially in STEM.”
As said in their vision statement, WSHS values the diversity within their students and they represent people of different demographics. The robotics team specifically is inclusive and treats their members equally. Girls in robotics believe it is a good program and it provides equal opportunities for all people. There are good parts about the balance of gender within the field of STEM as well. Diverse teams are innovative as they are not limited to one perspective but rather include many perspectives, and thus ideas, an essential part of problem solving and scientific reasoning.
“But there are also good things … when I teach the girls, they’ll treat me differently because they’re more comfortable with me,” Wei said. “If they have a question, they’ll ask me. I think it’s [a] good balance.”
Currently, WSHS is advocating for greater representation for women in STEM by encouraging more girls to join robotics, math and other teams. Yet, there is still an imbalance.
“The imbalance is really large, actually. We’re trying to fix that,” Wei said. “I don’t think it’s really unfair, [though]. There are no [barriers] for entry for girls.”
There is a great sense of community within the robotics club and the girls help each other grow through collaboration, dedication and hard work. Relationships are built with the time they spend together working on projects and preparing for competitions.
“Emma Wei — her being in robotics helped me see that [girls] can do robotics as well … [she] helped me because we shared a lot of interests,” Stidum said.
The girls that are currently in STEM advise those who are nervous to join to “just go for it.” It is a good time to get involved in STEM because of the increase in Artificial Intelligence. There are tutoring groups, such as GEMX, and other educational organizations that encourage students to reach out and learn more about the opportunities for success in the world of STEM.
“You might face some discrimination, but if you really love something, I just suggest you go for it,” Wei said. “All of your mentors will see you and they [will] want to support you regardless of your gender.”
