"Aw, you do electronics right? I mean c'mon you're asian"

What is the issue with gender imbalance in STEM? Is it the issue like my family friend said about racial diversity in Operatic Theatre?

- "It's not because we DON'T want singers of other backgrounds, it's just because we've found it doesn't appeal so much to them so it just looks like we're being racist when we don't mean to be."

Which is a fair statement I guess, but up to a point.

This statement may be true in the Opera world and it can be openly seen by going to the opera house, but is this true of STEM?  Are girls just naturally not attracted to it? Or are we as society maybe still a little biased to what girls and boys should do during their childhood?

...

At one block party I happened to go to there was a young male guessing what degree everyone did, judging purely by the way they looked and dressed. What did he presume that the Chinese girl did? Engineering. What did he presume that the English girl did? Social Studies. I'll have you know that the Chinese girl did History and the English girl did Biology but sure, ok, whatever.  When it came round to me he gave me a glance and immediately came out with

"Aw, you do electronics right? I mean c'mon you're asian" 

I had no words. On one hand he is right, I am of Eastern Asian descent and I do happen to be reading an Electronic Engineering degree, but my race had nothing to do with my choice. I was not pushed into it by my family, I was naturally drawn to it. At least this guy didn't judge me because of my gender...I guess? Is that marginally better?

So does the general social perception of what degrees people do stem from a young age or is it because social media commonly depicts certain races doing specific roles?

...

Society may have an impact on our current future choices now as students but now that the imbalance has been brought up, thrown about and being shouted from the roof tops so much that multiple companies are now offering experience specifically just for girls, our generation is changing. Both boys and girls of my age are becoming aware and learning about how not to simply presume what another's interests are based on gender. Maybe we have a little more learning to do so we don't do that with ethnicity, but at least we are all starting to understand more about equality and how important it is.

Will the gender issue in STEM be another version of "my grandma's a little racist sometimes but that's because of the generation she was brought up in" kind of thing? Will this social view die out in a couple of generations?

Hopefully that means in the future it'll be a fairer playing field and it'll be better for everyone.


Stay Thinking,

Ellie