Why The Sciences Need More Female Students

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Why The Sciences Need More Female Students
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• Nowadays, there are many more women in prominent
  positions within the fields of medicine, law and
  business than ever before, but the fields of
  science and engineering seem to be taking a long
  time to catch up. There are thought to be several
  different factors affecting this, some of which
  include gender biases, and environmental and
  social barriers. However, equal opportunities in
  all fields of work should be encouraged, and it
  may be that some institutions need to do more to
  encourage female students to consider science and
  engineering as a career, since there is
  absolutely no reason why women cannot excel in
  either field.

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• Lets look in a little more detail at the reasons
  why females may be choosing not to study at
  University, when in fact, the evidence shows that
  they may well excel and should pursue the
  sciences as a career
• Stereotyping
• There is a widely accepted stereotype that
  females in general, are not good at math and
  science, and whether this is a verbal or
  subconscious stereotype, it can still have a
  deeply negative impact on a female. When sitting
  a math or science test, (and often in a room full
  of males) females are already on the back foot
  mentally and even a subtle reference to their
  inferiority at the chosen subject can have a
  hugely negative impact on their performance.

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• While most claim not to believe the stereotype,
  the fact remains that it exists, and this only
  adds to the unconscious stereotype.
• Having a growth mindset
• Students who are studying math or science may
  approach the subject with differing mindsets
  some may have a fixed mindset, which makes them
  highly susceptible to the concept of intelligence
  being static without the possibility of further
  development. Those with a different type of
  mindset, usually referred to as a growth
  mindset, believe that intelligence can be
  developed, and the individual feels encouraged to
  learn more and embrace challenges to their
  intelligence.

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• The fixed mindset often leads individuals to
  believe that their intelligence will help them
  combat and overcome challenges easily, and when
  they are faced with them and cannot immediately
  resolve or overcome them, they are subject to
  experiencing an intense loss of confidence.
• Since encountering and challenging obstacles is
  part and parcel of studying science, students who
  believe that their intelligence will help them do
  this easily and without the need for further
  growth and learning will never be as successful
  as those who push themselves to learn more and
  gain a higher level of intelligence. As females
  are subject to many stereotypes regarding their
  abilities and levels of capability within
  subjects like math and science, they may already

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• have the mindset that they need to develop their
  intelligence to combat such stereotypes. So,
  while the growth mindset clearly benefits
  students of both genders, it could be that
  females are more prone to the idea of growth and
  as a result, could become more successful in
  their chosen field than those of the opposite
  gender.
• Never let stereotypes hold you back in any career
  path, and if youre a female considering studying
  the sciences but are fearful of how others may
  react to this, remember that there is no evidence
  to support the stereotypes that still exist
  today, and if you have a growth mindset, there
  is no reason whatsoever why you cannot excel in
  this field.

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