Written by Brian Li
In this generation, day and age, STEM education continues to be prevalent in many schools across the world. STEM education is encouraged to be learned in classrooms for students to be well equipped with critical thinking and problem solving skills. The increase in STEM education can also be attributed to the growing job opportunities and fields (medical, technology, etc.) that require STEM learning in order to succeed. Unfortunately, in a world where social justice issues such as racism and gender inequality continue to be ignored by the mainstream media, it seems that STEM learning also follows in the same path. Within STEM education, the social justice issues within the area of learning are invisible to people. Social justice issues surrounding women and people of colour are common among STEM related areas of work and learning but continue to go unnoticed by the public.
Discrimination against Women
Across the world, gender inequality remains a social justice issue within STEM. Women working within STEM fields of work usually endure challenges that men don’t face when working in the same situations. The discrimination against women starts at post-secondary education, where girls are usually discouraged to enter STEM related programs even though they show that they are capable of accomplishing better scores than boys heading into post-secondary (Mostafa). Women are discouraged from entering these post-secondary programs due to the lack of confidence they have within themselves when studying in STEM related fields (Mostafa). The false perception of their strengths and weaknesses in their academic achievements stops more girls from entering STEM programs even though they are capable of providing the same level of work and effort. Even when women do enter STEM fields of work after post-secondary education, they still face discrmination when working in these fields. There is a lack of women in leadership roles in the technology industry, only about 3% of CEOs and 20% of CFOs are women globally (“Women in (STEM): Quick Take”). There is also always a salary discrepancy between the two sexes as women tend to earn less than men for no apparent reason. In 2018, women in STEM occupations in Canada were to have earned less than men in the same occupations. In these STEM occupations in Canada, on average, women would make 76 cents to every dollar men made (“Women in (STEM): Quick Take”). This trend is not only happening in Canada and in the STEM fields, but continues to be an ignored global trend. Women of colour suffer even more discrimination. There is little to no representation of Asian (5.3%), African (2.9%), Indigenous American (0.1%), and Latina (4.3%) women in STEM programs in US post-secondary (“Women in (STEM): Quick Take”). With this little representation, the numbers of jobs held by these women of colour were even lower. Numbers for African American women drop by 0.2% and Latina women drop by 2.0% when talking about the science and engineering employees in America (“Women in (STEM): Quick Take”). Women continue to be a minority group when it comes to fields related to STEM. Whether it be in education or the workforce, the unfair discrimination and disadvantages that women face compared to men needs to be resolved.
Discrimination against People of Colour
Women are not the only group of people that faces discrimination in STEM related areas of the world. All people of colour continue to be subjected to the same kinds of discrimination. In a research by Pew Research Center, it was found that African Americans only represent 9% and Latinx Americans, 7% of the jobs related to STEM in the US (Funk and Parker). There was also a clear wage gap in terms of salary as the median for African and Latinx Americans was below the Asian and White wage. In terms of post-secondary education, the National Center of Education found that there is an increase in African (26%) and Latinx (20%) Americans dropping out of their degree, than White students (13%) in US post-secondary institutions (Bauer-Wolf). Students of colour also tend to switch their majors more often than White or Asian students. These trends continue around the world with even lower numbers of representation in some countries. As shown by multiple research groups, minorities in STEM are continually oppressed by stereotypes and are under-represented by the STEM education system and workfield. It is important for the next generation to break these barriers and resolve these social justice issues within STEM.
Why is it important to solve these Social Justice Issues?
These social justice issues within STEM continue to plague the four areas of study around the world. It is important for the STEM community to find solutions in order to advance not only in STEM, but in world issues as well. It is essential that we begin to look for viable solutions to achieve equality by getting fair wages for minority groups, equal education opportunities and encouragement. When this is achieved, we can improve lives globally. For example, the European Institute for Gender Equality, found that more than 1.2 million jobs can be created, and an increase of 610-820 billion euros in the EU’s GDP can be achieved if the gender gap closes in STEM education (“Economic Benefits of Gender Equality”). An improvement in the economy helps not only minority groups, but everyone else as well. Other social issues can be solved if we strive to find solutions for social justice in STEM. A study from Vanderbilt University found that students wanted to head into STEM in order to solve social justice issues (Brown). Issues like the Flint water crisis are issues that students of colour think about solving in their own communities so they can achieve a better quality of life. The importance of social justice in STEM starts with the new generation and I believe that they can find solutions to these outdated issues so equality can be achieved.
Works Cited
Bauer-Wolf, Jeremy. Latinx, Black College Students Leave STEM Majors More than White Students, 26 Feb. 2019, www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/02/26/latinx-black-college-students-leave-stem-majors-more-white-students.
Brown, Gretchen. Students Of Color Study STEM With A Focus On Social Justice. 18 Apr. 2019, www.wpr.org/students-color-study-stem-focus-social-justice.
“Economic Benefits of Gender Equality in the EU”. European Institute for Gender Equality , 10 Apr. 2019, eige.europa.eu/gender-mainstreaming/policy-areas/economic-and-financial-affairs/economic-benefits-gender-equality.
Funk, Cary, and Kim Parker. “Diversity in the STEM Workforce Varies Widely across Jobs.” Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project, 31 Dec. 2019, www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/01/09/diversity-in-the-stem-workforce-varies-widely-across-jobs/.
Mostafa, T. (2019), "Why don’t more girls choose to pursue a science career?", PISA in Focus, No. 93, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/02bd2b68-en.
Women in (STEM): Quick Take. Catalyst, 4 Aug. 2020, www.catalyst.org/research/women-in-science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics-stem/
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