Want Your Daughter to be an Engineer? Here's How You Do It!

How to Encourage More Girls to be Interested in STEM

Give us a smile baby/ Act like a real lady
Give us a smile princess/It’s better for business

Ali Barter

Those two lines from Australian Singer/Songwriter Ali Barter capture the problem faced by many young girls growing up in 2018. Despite significant advances over the past 50 years in women’s participation rates in the workforce, and other measures of gender equality, girls graduating from high school still face significant obstacles to success in many areas. Most recently we've heard about the entertainment industry, with the #metoo campaign. While perhaps not as newsworthy as the allegations against prominent Hollywood celebrities, another area where there is still significant work to do is STEM.

We are a pretty STEM heavy household in my family. My wife and I both hold engineering degrees, and between us we also have post graduate qualifications in accounting and finance. We’ve talked a lot over the years about male dominated industries and why my wife chose engineering as a profession. With arrival of our two daughters (aged 4 and 2) this has naturally flowed into conversations about how to interest the girls in STEM. My wife had always been passionate about this kind of topic, but for me it was when I first watched the linked YouTube video, that I first really took an interest. Prior to this I had mainly nodded wisely as my girlfriend, and later wife, spoke passionately about the issue. Inside I was really thinking;

Surely girls can be engineers. My wife’s an engineer! She’s proof that smart girls can make it!

Case closed!

The video below, and the arrival of my first daughter prompted me to look a bit deeper. Not surprisingly the statistics showed that STEM fields were dominated by men. There has been some improvement over recent years in the Science part of the STEM acronym, but the T, E and M are still heavily dominated by men. In the United States in 2012:

• 82 % of computer science degrees we awarded to men
• 80 % of engineering degrees were awarded to men
• 61 % of physical science degrees were awarded to men

If you want to do a quick gross error check on this information, have a look at how many of the top 50 witnesses on Steemit are women. Not very many. How many crypto projects that you have an interest in are headed by women? You most likely get the same answer.

Digging deeper provides more insight. Aptitude testing in STEM disciplines shows no significant differences between boys and girls. On some measures girls show greater natural ability than boys. The old argument about boys just being naturally better at maths don’t hold water.

What is more significant is that studies have shown that as early as the first year of primary/elementary school, boys demonstrate significantly more confidence in STEM related subjects than girls. So, boys aren’t actually any better at this stuff than girls, but they think they are. And girls believe them. This leads to a number of flow on effects.

• Girls are less likely to engage in STEM related activities as their lack of confidence leads them to believe they are “no good” at STEM.
• A perceived difference in ability becomes a real ability gap, as boys who engage more with STEM get better at it through repetition and practice.
• Over time fewer and fewer girls engage in STEM studies as it is seen as “boys stuff.”

How do we fix this problem?

The solutions to this problem are actually quite simple, but they require awareness and a little bit of effort. Here some suggestions that can help.

Be aware of the toys you buy

Next time you are at the toy shop, stop and look at the difference between the toys that are marketed to boys and girls. The girls toys are most likely located in the “pink aisle,” which probably looks something like this.

Image Source

Or simply go to the Lego aisle and look at the difference between regular Lego and Lego Friends (girl's Lego). The regular stuff is all about trucks and spaceships and police cars. Lego Friends is all pony’s and ponytails.

I need to emphasise that there is nothing wrong with girls playing with dolls and doll houses. But try to provide a selection of toys. There should be no such thing as boy’s toys and girl’s toys. There should just be toys. Then your child can play with whatever they like. Let them choose their own adventure!

Buy them a set of blocks

This is really an extension of the above point, but it’s a really important one. Block play is a really important part of development for all children, regardless of gender. Block play teaches children about counting, construction, problem solving and 3D visualisation. Taking just 3D visualisation as an example, occupations that utilise this skill are not simply restricted to construction and engineering fields. Some other jobs that rely on the ability to visualise things in three dimensions include:

• Airline pilot
• Surgeon
• Cartoon Animator

By not giving your daughter a set of blocks you may be closing off doors to her without even realising it.

Watch your words

Words are powerful in so many contexts and this is one of them. Research shows that people tend to speak more often in terms of numbers, quantities and science attributes to boys than girls, from as young as babies and toddlers. Make a conscious effort not to dumb down your conversations with your daughters. Speak less of what girls look like, and speak more of what they are interested in.

Its also been shown that parents have a tendency to praise children differently. If a boy and a girl compete the same project they get different responses from adults. The girl is more likely to be described as" crafty," while the boy may be described as clever, or a “budding engineer.”

Also take notice of the way those around you speak to their children. You'll realise that this kind of unconscious pigeon holing is happening everyday.

Highlight role models

With a dearth of females in the STEM fields, it can be difficult for a girl with an interest in STEM to find appropriate role models. Regardless of gender, role models are widely considered to be critical in the development of young people. Make a point of highlighting it when you see a woman in a STEM position, whether its in real life or on TV. Statistically, your daughter’s maths and science teacher are both likely to be men, so you’ll need to help her find inspiration elsewhere. A great example of this is Professor Michelle Yvonne Simmons, a quantum physicist who was yesterday recognised as the Australian of the Year for 2018. Role models don’t have to be celebrities though. It could be as close to home as a good teacher or a neighbour who’s an engineer.

Let them get dirty

Encourage your daughter’s natural curiosity and don’t be scared to let her get dirty. If she wants to go out in the rain to explore the backyard, let her go. Make the world her laboratory and encourage her to investigate any topics that have sparked her interest.

Teach your kid to code

The area where women are the most under represented is in the computer sciences. With current innovations and changes in technology occurring, these fields also represent some of the most promising future employment opportunities. Help your daughter get ahead of the game by teaching her how to code. There are numerous apps that you can download that will teach her this in a fun and interactive way. This article gives you some examples of what’s available.

Best Coding Apps for Kids to Learn Programming

The Final Word

STEM shouldn't be just for boys. Very few people would consciously think this. Sub consciously though, our daughters are bombarded with messages that make them more likely to end up in the kitchen than in the laboratory. A few simple steps, like following some of the points outlined above, and also in the resources below, could be the circuit breaker that propels your daughter (or one of her friends) to be the next great scientist, technologist or engineer.

Debbie Sterling at TEDxPSU

Main image courtesy of Caroline Hernandez on Unsplash

References

Australian of the Year 2018

Bridging the Gender Gap: Encouraging Girls in Stem

Science Achievement Gaps Begin Very Early, Persist, and Are Largely Explained by Modifiable Factors, Morgan, Farkas, Hillemeier and Maczuga, 2016

State of Women and Girls in Stem

When do female role models benefits Women? The importance of Differentiating Recruitment From Retention in STEM, Drury, Siy and Cheryan, 2011

Why Girls Need STEM and STEM Needs Girls

Why STEM for Girls is so Important