MISSING FROM SCIENCE CLASS:
A Response
Editor's Note: In her response to a New York Times article, Maddie S. '15 discusses her opinions on the disparity of both women and minorities in tech-oriented fields. The article she is responding to can be read here.
The looming gender gap in science, math, and technology areas of the workforce should scream itself as a huge problem, and must be addressed more widely as something in need of being fixed. Women and girls being interested in math and science has always been something of an obscurity; most likely a result of the fact that women having equal opportunities in education is something relatively novel, and before the modern ages, women's opportunities in education revolved around arts and literature. In the 19th and early 20th century, women being interested in the fields of science or math was so disparate that there were small independent schools built just for girls interested in these fields. The idea that women are more literary or artistically inclined has been so ingrained in our society that it is not even regarded as something sexist and it is simply acknowledged. Even today, and even at a progressive independent New York City high school like Packer, the majority of people apart of advanced math classes, math clubs, and math teams are boys. This all directly relates to the rareness of women having leadership roles in science and math fields of the workforce, as the educational opportunities that they receive at a very young age will affect women throughout their lives. Math or engineering majors in college are rarely pegged as interests for girls. This, in our ever-progressive society, is making these minorities more appealing for colleges seeking diversity ñ a small indicator that we may be making headway to solve this issue. If only the educational system, and our society as a whole, would approve and fully support women in competing with their male peers and taking action in any interest they have in math and science. If there were constant support for these girls throughout their lives, the educational and business world would be an entirely different, and subsequently bettered place.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/11/opinion/too-few-girls-and-minorities-study-tech-subjects.html
