From Shadows to Spotlight: The Rise of Women in STEM

In ancient days, women were restricted to homes and domestic chores. It was taboo for girls to make discoveries or research out something that girls usually do not Before jumping on the question why is there a small fraction of the opposite gender in science? What about asking the counter-question of why men are not associated with housework? Why?

This article will discuss the historical background, challenges, and future directions regarding that topic.

The first point that came to mind was how that all started. The answer is they did it together .yes that sounds strange. Nathalia Holt Ph.D. is a science writer and bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us from Missiles to the Moon to Mars, in which she chronicles an elite group of women’s contributions to rocket design, space exploration.

Some women changed the angle of observing and making contributions to science are the following.

• Marie Curie: First person to win two separate Nobel Prizes in different sciences; pioneer in radiation research; faced sexism throughout her career. 
• Caroline Herschel: German astronomer who discovered several comets; the first woman paid for contributions to science. 
• Lise Meitner: Worked on nuclear physics; her collaborator won a Nobel Prize for nuclear fission. 
• Fatima Bint Muhammad al-Fihriya al-Qurashiya: who is accredited with founding the oldest University in the world that has been continuously operative and introducing the issuance of degrees, Masjid al-Qarawiyyin. Therefore, she pioneered the model of higher education that has been adopted across the world.
• Bedour al-Maghrabi: in conjunction with others, has developed several medical instruments that have resulted in her being honored by winning the 2015 British Invention Show and Awards and coming second place at Korea’s International Women’s Invention Exposition in 2014
• Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin: Discovered the sun’s composition; her hypothesis was initially dismissed. 
• Rosalind Franklin: Vital to DNA structure discovery; excluded from Nobel Prize recognition. 
• Emmy Noether: Mathematician known for Noether’s theorem; faced significant barriers in academia.
• Nergis Mavalvala: is a Pakistani-American physicist known for her breakthrough research in gravitational wave detection in 2015. She has also received the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Award in 2010 
• Farzana Aslam: is a physicist and astronomer. She has worked in the area of polymer composite sensitized with semiconductor nanoparticles, photon, and laser sciences For her contributions, Farzana was awarded a commendation award at the Photon 04 conference held by the Institute of Physics at Glasgow. 

Imagine what these women could have accomplished if they had not had to battle sexism and if they could simply have focused on science Every year there are improvements for women in STEM More and more women are entering science and technology fields but discrimination still exists and it’s the responsibility of every person who cares about science to help fight this prejudice.

Many women in STEM experience imposter syndrome, which is characterized by feelings of self-doubt and the belief that they do not belong in their field.

 This can lead to reluctance to take risks necessary for career advancement. 

A sense of belonging is crucial for women to thrive in STEM careers. Supportive environments enable women to perform at their best.

When women feel they belong, they are more likely to succeed and contribute significantly to their fields.

• Mentorship Programs: Programs that emphasize training for mentors can lead to positive experiences for students. These programs have shown success with over 80% of graduates being minorities underrepresented in STEM 3.
• Internship Models: Implementing internship models can significantly increase retention rates, with over 70% of participants going on to careers in science and over 20% pursuing PhDs 4.
• Support Networks: Establishing networks for women in STEM, including both traditional networking and formal mentoring, is crucial for providing the support needed to thrive in these fields.
• Cultural and media perspective: when we talk about it, especially in Pakistani culture then we are always told that they belong to homes other than that media depicts that they are just made for marrying and bringing out children. Pakistani dramas have set some stereotypical images that have lessened the interest of women in science.it is obvious from where they get their motivation to take science and home parallel and the interesting fact is they have the capability and capacity despite that they do not .no doubt for Pakistani women they have to face lots of challenges than any other country’s women do .but i can hear the  inner voice,come from too distant place, give us courage that yes we definitely can and we will one day In sha Allah.

Critical thinking

Compared to the advancement of equal rights for men and women, the advancement of women in science has been far slower and less definite. Women are beginning to predominate among students, but they are still in the minority in the scientific community. Only 30% of scientists are female, and even fewer of them hold leadership roles in the field—only 18% of deans in Latin America are female, according to UNESCO. The list of causes is long and includes cultural concerns, obligations to one’s family, a significant level of discrimination against women, and other factors that have stifled the advancement of women in various professions. Policies that support women’s participation in leadership roles are essential because there will be a greater level of representation in the field when more women hold strategic and decision-making roles. Aside from broadening the diversity of scientific recruitment committees, other measures that prevent these women from leaving the scientific environment include payment for child care facilities and maternity leave for fellows, as well as approaches to assist professors with their family responsibilities.

Conclusion

To improve the retention of women in STEM, it is essential to address the barriers they face and implement effective mentorship and support systems. By fostering an inclusive environment, we can help change the landscape of women in STEM fields.

This article is written and submitted by guest author Fatima Siddiqui.