Vaughan 1

Kati Vaughan
Trotter-Per.2
British Literature
18 November 2016
Senior Capstone Annotated Bibliography

Hill, Catherine. "Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and

Mathematics."
AAUW: Empowering Women

Since 1881. AAUW, 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.

<http://www.aauw.org/research/why-so-few/>.
In this article, Hill helps explain and explores the reasoning behind why there are so few
women located in the STEM field ( science, technology, engineering, and math) and provides
ways to make this social change through simple tasks. After conducting a research on
preconceived ideas regarding gender bias, stereotypes, and social or environmental barriers that
women face when placed in these circumstances, Hill goes on to explain each finding with
examples and definitions in order to allow her audience to solve the puzzle of why there are so
few women in this field. The research she used explained how implicit bias and the stereotype
threat may make women and young girls less interested in this field of work because they think
they are going to fail. People tend to have this idea that women are associated with arts while
men are associated with math and science however this is should not be the case, nor is this true.
She also goes on to explain the finding that a fixed mindset will also hinder the growth in this
field due to the influence of the negative stereotypes associated with failure, however, again, this

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is not the case. Lastly, she goes on to state ways,that teachers, parents, and schools can all
encourage more women to be active in this work. This article helps me with my project because
it shows me why women have this existing idea behind failure in math or science. It essentially
told me that I need to target these stereotypes and encourage women that they can and will be
successful in this field unlike what they have been hearing. Hopefully me targeting these ideas
will add to my project as a whole.

Huhman, Heather R. "STEM Fields And

The Gender Gap: Where Are The Women?" Forbes.

Forbes Magazine, 20 June 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.
<http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2012/06/20/stem-fields-and-the-gender-g
ap-where-are-the-women/#1c8f42c733a9>.

In this article, Huhman explores the gender gap regarding the unequal distribution of
Women in this field of work. She goes on to explain studies enacted by the U.S. Department of
Commerce that found women are less likely to be involved in the STEM field with one in seven
engineers being female. She also goes on to state statistics regarding graduation rates and what
field women have achieved their degrees in, revealing that they were primarily in the arts even
though they accounted for sixty percent of all bachelor degrees. Huhman touches upon the
question of where are the women in the stem field however primarily focuses on how to fix
this issue with a list of solutions that include revising the K-12 curriculum which would
encourage and give more opportunities for young girls to learn and take interest in these subjects,
working against the preconceived stereotypes which is an explanation in itself where teachers or

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elders could inform young girls that they are just as capable of doing a mans job even though it
may sound cliche, and lastly creating more programs or giving alternate programs that allow for
women to be apart of this field even if they do not have an extensive background. This pertains
to my project of engaging women in the STEM field because it allows me to locate a problem
and then focus on how to find a solution, resulting in me hopefully helping my cause. It has gone
on to show me that a lot of the issue lies within the young not getting enough publicity about
women in this field, so I can focus on trying to prevent these stereotypes developing at a young
age.

Marder, Jenny. "Why Engineering, Science Gender Gap Persists." PBS. PBS, 25 Apr. 2012.
Web. 16 Nov. 2016.
<http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/science-engineering-and-the-gender-gap/ >.
In this article, Marder focuses on the idea that Women lack in subjects such as math,
science, technology, and engineering in all levels of this field ranging from elementary to women
actually in the field. Marder goes on to further explain the absence of women in this field with
countless examples of research, data, and anecdotes from women in this area of work in order to
show men and women that are in or are looking into this field the struggles behind it. The
research she used exemplified that women have a harder time becoming successful in this field
even though in college they have a higher GPAs or test scores. She stated that women have a
harder time getting promotions and pay raises which result in them dropping out of this field due
to the discouragement to be involved in it in the first place. Marder also added that women and
individuals need to get rid of the idea that engineering is strictly for science and that is the only

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field it affects, when in reality it will benefit society which is more appealing to some womens
minds. This adds to my project and opens my eyes to the idea that the workplace is part of the
problem for women in this field. If more women get involved then the workplace will have to
hire more women resulting hopefully in better pay and more success stories. Even though I
cannot help the problems in the workplace I can start encouraging involvement in younger
children and women my own age.

Welsh, Jennifer. "These Are The 7 Things Keeping Women Out Of Science Careers." Business
Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 16 Oct. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.
<http://www.businessinsider.com/7-things-keeping-women-out-of-science-2013-10>.
In this article, Welsh tackles the question as to why women are underrepresented in the
STEM field and states that social,emotional, and physical obstacles all factor into the uneven
distribution of women in this field of work. After closely analyzing research, data, and other
articles written on this topic, Welsh was able to come up with seven key ideas as to why women
lack in this field. These topics include: stereotypes, a lack of encouragement, teasing in school,
childcare, competition, bias, and marginalization. These barriers all contribute to the lack of
women found in this field. Stereotypes and bias leave the women feeling isolated in this field,
ultimately discouraging them from participating in the field; coinciding with the idea of
stereotypes and bias, lack of encouragement also plays a factor in this field leaving women
feeling left out and unwanted. It states that men usually fed off of negative encouragement while
women tend to do better when it comes to positive reinforcement, so these workplaces are not set
up for women. Along with that Welsh goes on to state that women do not have a need for

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competition or drive to always be on top which leds them to drop out of this field even though
they will succeed if they were to have stayed. Unequal pay in the workplace also affects the lack
of women in this field as well because they are getting paid up to twenty percent less than men
are for the same job that they might be better at. Lastly, childcare also factors into why women
might be less involved in this field; maternity leave and the preconceived idea that the women
has to take care of the baby all cause women to leave this field. This article pertains to my
project because it opens my eyes to more issues as to why women might not be involved in this
field. It is revealing numerous options that I can hopefully address in my project.

"Women in STEM." The White House. The White House, 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.
<https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp/women>.
In this article, the government shows how they are encouraging and becoming more
active in promoting women to become more involved in the STEM field as it progresses.
Through countless fact sheets, reports, news clips, and speeches and events the government is
able to get the idea that women are crucial in this field across to the eyes and ears of Americans
who are watching. They state that women are a crucial part of the field of engineering and
getting more women involved is crucial for our economy. The economy would benefit greatly
from more women in this field and women equality would also be part of the issue tackled. The
Office of Science and Technology reveal that to get women more incorporated into this field
they are encouraging the engagement of younger women and girls with figures from the STEM
fields in both formal and informal environments such as schools, outside events, etc. They also
state that they are supporting efforts for women in this field and giving them the positive

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reinforcement that encourage them to continue participating. Lastly they go onto state that
programs such as the White House Council on Women and Girls are dedicated to increasing the
numbers of women in this field across America. This article and website was prevalent to my
project because it has given me a better understanding of what some programs that are being
enacted are and what they are doing to help. It also gave me some valuable advice as to what to
do to maybe help encourage this field in my local setting.