Motivation: Stem Career Gender Disparities
I was not expecting a class presentation game to change my views completely regarding the gender gap existing between men and women during my freshman year. My classmate demonstrated that in various real-world scenarios, women worked just as hard, if not double time, to receive lower wages. According to the Guardian, women were found to earn 14 to 20 percent less than their male counterparts. It was then that I turned my frustration into fascination about what systematically goes array when it comes to female opportunities and retention within those fields. Furthermore, I questioned why some girls in that same classroom seemed indifferent about a matter that has great potential to affect them in the future. At that point, I felt urgency to become a catalyst for change and inform those my age and younger about why we should become proactive.
Encircling my community are young, underrepresented minority women who are pre-assessed before performance. This is where the stigma regarding women begin. My solution is to reinvent the concept of beauty. At a young age, girls are modeled to believe that beauty is representative of superficial characteristics. Yet, potential is confined by pre-categorized standards for women. When young girls are beginning to develop their sense of self, there is potential for change with the influence of positive mentoring and a safe-place of expression. It’s said that, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” Beauty could mean physical attraction yet also fluid intelligence and performance. I want to redefine “beauty” and help individuals my age perform without any prenotion. I will develops programs and event aiming ton introduce young girls to opportunities in STEM and develop leadership skills. I will collaborate with a diverse group of professionals who can offer insight into holistically approaching this issue. Because my vision includes an all-inclusive field of professionalism for the future, the beauty camps will contain mentors of various genders, ethnicities and stages in careers. Biases in wages, recognition and leadership positions, make it problematic for women to stay motivated to pursue STEM. Yet, early interventions allow opportunities for the younger generation to pursue their passions holistically. Finally, I wish to use my platform to teach young women to be not only resistant to setbacks but use the tools learned from mentors to take ownership over their passion.
Oshmita Golam
Founder and President
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