Mark J. Perry asks the million dollar question: “Isn’t it time to stop with the “national STEM crisis” and “unconscious gender bias as a STEM barrier” hyperbole?”
Bottom Line: At the high school level, girls take more math and science classes than boys, they take more AP/Honors classes than boys, they earn higher GPAs overall and in math and science courses, and they are far more likely to graduate in the top 10% (and top 20%) of their high school classes. So if there is any unconscious bias against girls in science and math, gender stereotyping, or girls getting “pushed off the STEM track” it sure isn’t supported by the data above that demonstrates the impressive academic success in math and science courses by high school girls, who are far outperforming their male counterparts in STEM education and academic excellence.
Girls today are entering college with far superior academic qualifications and a better background in STEM classes than boys. Unless women suddenly face gender bias and stereotyping at the college level that didn’t exist in K-12, or existed but didn’t stop them from excelling in STEM classes, perhaps it’s then a personal choice of college degree programs that leads to female underrepresentation in certain STEM fields. While under-represented in engineering and computer science, females are nevertheless over-represented in many STEM fields like biology, health sciences, veterinary medicine, anthropology, zoology, pharmacology, genetics, biomedical sciences, etc. To the extent that there is a gender gap in STEM, it’s not universal and certainly doesn’t exist in all fields, and is limited to certain STEM fields. High school girls are excelling in math and science and are doing just fine continuing their academic success in the college degree programs that they voluntarily choose, both in STEM and non-STEM fields.
Q: Isn’t it time to stop with the “national STEM crisis” and “unconscious gender bias as a STEM barrier” hyperbole?