I came across this NPR article about a science vlogger that is concerned about the focus of her “femininity” when it comes to her fanmail.  You can read the article here or view the video:

I think this is a good video to start a discussion or post about women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.  Although I, myself, am not in the STEM field as a specialist, I do work in the technology industry where it’s dominated by men.  I also happen to be the youngest and one of the few female project managers in my current division.  Even in my EMBA cohort of 21, only 6 were women.  In the STEM fields, it’s even less. As U.S. citizens, we should be concerned because although we have been leaders in innovation with such companies as Apple and GE, we place “25^th in math and 17^th in science in the world compared to 31 other countries.”  You can view statistics here.

This is why I feel strongly about the subject.  Not only just for women in the STEM fields, but for the future of our nation through our children.  I always push my nephews and nieces to make sure to focus on math and science.  I am also guilty of encouraging their artistic side (Fine Arts was my initial major for undergrad.)  Growing up, I always wanted to be either a fashion designer or marine biologist.  I know, very different ends of the spectrum.  Sad to say – neither of these things happened but now is the time to plant the seed while you can and spread the word about this issue.

Related articles

• Something About STEM Drives Women Out (huffingtonpost.com)
• STEM Role Models – Britain HAS Got Talented Female Engineers (cascaid.wordpress.com)