Meyra Arizpe

Schafer
English 1320.338
15, April, 2016
Empowering Women Dominance
We live in a world that frequently stresses the phrase: "All men are created equal." While
this sounds great to hear, further examination concludes that this sadly may never be and is far
from realistic. Clearly, women have made tremendous strides toward equality in recent decades.
However, we still live in a society in which the worth of women is measured differently than that
of a man. This is largely due to gender roles and patriarchy still playing a big part in our society,
resulting in the significantly large gray area of females holding a position in a male-dominant
field. Certain careers, such as engineering, have been dominated by men for what seems like
ages. This might be because there are two universally accepted truths about women and STEM
careers. The first being that men outnumber women in certain STEM fields, and the second that
women are encouraged by society to avoid career choices that require a strong STEM curriculum
because society considers them masculine. Women should not let timeworn statistics and doubt
make them uncomfortable about finding interest and seeking jobs in the STEM fields. Women
should man up, so-to-speak, and empower other women to dominate as well.
Men have dominated the STEM field, which consists of science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics for years. Men have contributed greatly to the tech industry, and unfortunately,
the same cannot be said for women. Although recent studies have shown that the gender gap has
shrunk for certain job positions over the years, men still make up for the greater percentage of
positions filled in engineering and computer sciences. A study mentioned in The British Journal
of Society has found that only an estimated 98,000 women in the UK applied for engineering
positions, compared to the 750,000 male applicants. According to Weisgram, women hold only

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27 percent of all computer science jobs. Although women have excelled in other fields such as
medicine or law over the years, the tech and engineering industry definitely lack the female role.
This shows that although women have excelled over the years and started to engage in career
fields that require a great knowledge of STEM, women are still far behind.
So where does the culprit lie? Many believe that the root of the problem starts at a young
age. From birth, children are assigned a gender and are conditioned to conform to certain gender
roles based on their sex, which is biologically determined. Unlike sex, which is a biological
concept, gender is a social construct that specifies the culturally and socially prescribed roles that
men and women are to follow. For example, the color Blue and race cars are associated with
boys, while the color Pink and Barbies are associated with girls. In our society, masculine roles
have traditionally been associated with strength, aggression, and, last but not least, dominance.
Feminine roles have been traditionally associated with passivity, nurture and subordination.
Children learn at a young age that there are distinct expectations for them based on their assigned
gender. There are many factors that influence the way the child is brought up and lead to what
role it will play in the gender role of socialization. The factors that contribute to the social
construct are church, friends, parents and school, the most influential bias being school.
There is an unconscious bias that math and science are typically male fields, which
leaves the subjectively easier topics, that arent stem-focused, for a woman to pursue. This
unconscious bias often starts to develop as early as grade school. According to health and science
scholar Caitlyn Yantis, [S]omehow in the early puberty development girls interests are more
likely to start being influenced by society (4). Adolescent girls are not always encouraged to
pursue an interest in math and science. Popular culture also plays a role in affecting where young
girls see themselves in the future. These stereotypes help pave the way for girls to lose interest in

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a career that requires strong math and science skills. Even when a female does pursue a role in
such fields, studies have shown that women are overwhelmed with a feeling of discontent and
invidious social comparison (Beaton 2).
There are several things that can help pave a better foundation for women wanting to
seek jobs in male dominant fields. First, the gender bias must be overcome by reworking grade
school curriculum; this will empower young girls to pursue a career in areas that require great
STEM skills. An interest in science and technology also needs to be cultivated at a young age.
Adolescent girls are rarely encouraged to pursue math and science, which is problematic
considering studies have shown a lack of belief in intellectual growth can actually inhibit future
goals. Schools should encourage girls to pursue opportunities in the STEM field and combat the
common stereotypes. They should also show young girls that men are not the only geniuses in
the work field, and that there are successful female engineers. The accomplishments of female
engineers need to be more visible; this will help encourage girls to participate in STEM fields
beginning at a young age.
After sparking the interest in young women, they should learn how to assert dominance
and confidence in their abilities to get the job done. Women applying for a job in maledominated fields should consider playing up their masculine qualities. Women have always been
seen as weak-minded and incapable of maintaining a strong position in the workplace. This
explains why women who described themselves using masculine traits, for example, being
assertive, independent, or achievement-oriented, were evaluated as more fitting for the job; as
compared to those who emphasized feminine traits, such as warmth, supportiveness, and
nurturing. The next step is building up the confidence needed to walk into a male-dominated
area. Confidence is a major issue that women in male dominant fields struggle with often. It is

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easy to feel discouraged when entering such a field, and that is the reason why a lot of females
will not stay with the field of work. They feel discouraged and out of place, but this
misconception needs to stop. Women should give themselves pep talks to combat this
discouragement and self-doubt; they should tell themselves that there is no reason why they
should not be there. Women are more than capable of doing the same job just as well as a man,
and they certainly need to be reminded of that.
The society in which we live plays an enormous role in determining the different attitudes
and behavior of us all. Yes, gender bias still exists, but the field has progressed very far even over
the last decade. The work field has revolutionized throughout the years and women are engaging
in many jobs they were never expected to do. They have had to overcome several barriers and
jump through a number of hoops. Unfortunately, gender equality cannot be accomplished
overnight. There are still multiple factors that have helped engineering, as well as other jobs, stay
male-dominant for so long; women have been seen as weak-minded for too long. But, that can
change. It is the twenty first century, and it is time for empowered women to man-up and take
a lead in the right direction.