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Scarlett Reinsch
Mrs. Matteson
Honors American Literature
7 February 2023
How Gender Plays a Part in STEM Careers like Engineering
Society and sexism sit carved onto the same stone. In the thousands of years since then, only

in the last few decades has the word ‘sexism’ been chipped at. Today, sexism has been so

ingrained into minds that the social construct “can be overt and hostile, or it can be subtle and

benevolent in ways that may seem flattering or kind” (Robnett, John). Female engineers face an

internally sexist workforce every day. Many women leave the industry, as gender discrimination

from male peers often discourages them from pursuing their dream career. Sexism presents a

problem in the engineering industry that needs to be assessed.

Women used to sit under the strict roles of being a ‘mother’ and a ‘caregiver,’ and though it

seems like those cookie-cutter roles have been erased from society, they still present a problem

for working women. Often women must choose between having a family or having a high-

powered career. This exists in the fact that “almost half of new mothers in STEM leave their jobs

or go part-time, while only a quarter of new fathers do so” (“Sexism Persists in STEM”). This

just cements the idea that once becoming a mother, a woman is often pressured into focusing

more on their child instead of their career. Though the aforementioned study shows that fewer

men will give up work time for their children compared to women, society tends to focus their

scrutinizing on mothers who don’t give up work time for their children rather than fathers that do

the same. Even women who continue with work in the STEM field still feel the marginalization

put on by male peers as they just don’t have a support system around them (especially if they are

pregnant). This results in most women feeling “a lack of understanding and a lack of advocacy
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and lack of allies” in their industry (“Sexism Persists in STEM”). The roles that women have

been forced to conform to in society place them in this position. Most men do not see a woman

as someone they can talk to or relate to because of what society has nailed inside their heads.

This “lack of” bears on women the most. Working surrounded by people who don’t understand

oneself and take everything one says into question because of what reproductive organs one has

is for lack of better words, suffocating.

Women in engineering, specifically, are usually confined to jobs that entail more

communication rather than technical ability, leading to an ever-growing societal standard that

women are incapable of doing the same job as men. In engineering training, mentors point out

that there are two types of skills: ‘hard’ (technical ability and problem-solving) and ‘soft’

(communication and teamwork). To add to this, new, impressionable trainees “also learn that

these skills are gendered, with the former viewed as more masculine, more revered and higher

status; and the latter viewed as more feminine and lower status” (Cardador, Caza). Women are

more likely driven to undertake the ‘soft’ and ‘professional’ side of engineering. Male coworkers

often say that they see their female peers being assigned in a situation where they are controlling

a team and managing, whereas men are put to the technical skills of designing and crafting. The

problem doesn’t lie in the skills themselves, but in the fact that “there is a tendency to define

‘real’ engineers in terms of technical skills and values tied to being a technical specialist,” which

leads women to believe that their skills are not seen as valuable or important compared to their

male peers (Cardador, Caza). This type of subtle undermining of one’s natural skills and

attributes can take a blow to a women’s self-esteem that manifests into self-hatred.

Many men deny their being sexism in the STEM industry, and if they do not deny, their

response is usually accompanied by the idea that what they say is ‘just jokes’ that can be
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overcome through respect and merit. The issue lies here. Women shouldn’t have to be put

through more prejudices and fights and just be expected to fend for themselves and succeed. In a

study done where adolescent girls reported their experiences with prejudices, some remember

“overhearing negative comments about their STEM ability and feeling as though they need to

work harder than boys to be taken seriously” (Robnett, John). It stands as something to know that

young girls have experienced something so self-esteem-crushing as this. Experiences like the

prior discourage girls from entering a STEM field like engineering. Change is the only solution.

It is not fair to the little girl who dreams of becoming an aerospace engineer but is discouraged

by their classmates. It is not fair to the new college graduate who quits her job because of the

suffocating environment of her mechanical engineering employment. And it certainly is not fair

that no matter how fast a woman runs, a man jogging will always cross the finish line before her.
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Works Cited

Cardador, Teresa, and Brianna Caza. “The Subtle Stressors Making Women Want to Leave

Engineering.” Harvard Business Review, 23 Nov. 2018, https://hbr.org/2018/11/the-

subtle-stressors-making-women-want-to-leave-engineering.

Robnett, Rachael, and Jennifer John. “‘It’s Wrong to Exclude Girls From Something

They Love.’ Adolescents’ Attitudes About Sexism in Science, Technology, Engineering,

and Math.” Child Development, Jan. 2020, vol. 91, https://eds-p-ebscohost-

com.proxygsu-sful.galileo.usg.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=eedf19fa-f507-4f56-

a975-310beb1e0c37%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ

%3d%#db=pbh&AN=141050538.

“Sexism Persists in STEM.” SWE Blog, 19 Jan. 2021,

https://alltogether.swe.org/2021/01/sexism-persists-in-stem/.