The topic of women in science and engineering is a broad topic, which has different aspects. One of the main campaigns eminent in the last two decades aims at enlightening the public on the fact that women and men are equally endowed. Interesting to note is that the campaign has also been targeting women who have continually shied away from taking up roles, studies and duties, which they have considered being be a masculine affair. One of the areas which have been largely emphasized is education. Whereas it is evident that there are numerous women in the legal, medical, business and educational fields, the fields of science and engineering are devoid of women. The academic achievements that women attain in science and engineering are worth covering.
Whereas there have been many debates regarding cognitive abilities of men and women, there has been never a universally accepted result. Some scientists argue that males and females are equally endowed cognitively, whereas other scientists argue that men are more endowed than women. It has been argued that boys have better spatial skills than girls by Burke & Mattis. As a result, girls have manifested mixed performances in sciences and engineering courses. This has led to numerous girls shying away from science and engineering courses. Girls who have taken up the challenge and pursued the course are normally outperformed by boys. Although the relevance of spatial skills in regard to success in science and engineering is not definitive, it is critical to note that the skills can be improved with training.
Research has also indicated that boys outnumber girls in math tests. However, it is critical to note that there have been a huge number of girls ranked as mathematically gifted in the last 30 years. Although they may be few, it is evident that women who have pursued science and engineering courses have performed extremely well. When examples of such women as Meg Urry, professor of physics and astronomy at Yale University are cited, women tend to believe that they can achieve the highest academic achievements in science and engineering fields as well. A research by Rosser indicated that women excel in science and engineering disciplines and even outperform their male counterparts. However, the pressure of marriage and family life has a huge detrimental effect on their careers.
It is unfortunate to note that across a majority of cultures, women in science are regarded as not being cool. However, it is vital to note that this retrogressive belief is common in African culture where women are viewed as children caregivers who should look after their husband and children. Science and engineering courses are viewed as a male affair. This explains why numerous women are found in nursing, education and law fields. This has also been the case amongst Muslims, Whites, Asians and Indians. All these cultures believe that science and engineering fields are for males. However, it is vital to point out that India has made great strides into getting women to engineering and science courses.
It is critical to encourage women to pursue science and engineering courses. It is evident that the technology field is growing extremely fast and job opportunities will be open for people in these disciplines. It will, therefore, be extremely significant for women to pursue careers in science and engineering in order to benefit from the prospects of the field. One main thing that needs to be eliminated is the bias against women in science and engineering workplaces.
In order to encourage more women to take science and engineering courses, the government should consider giving scholarships to women seeking to pursue the courses. This would encourage more women to pursue these courses, and ultimately increase the number of women in these career fields. Whereas it is evident that women have made great strides in these fields, it is clear that they remain a distinct minority in the fields of science and engineering. It is therefore critical to create environments that support girls and women to pursue science and engineering courses.
The field of technology and science has great potential for the future. It is evident that everything is becoming technology-based, for examples internet that brings out various educational tools, starting from online learning, project management to plagiarism checkers.
It is therefore, vital for all individuals to delve into developing science and engineering in order to be part of the future. A look at the field of technology and engineering indicate great potentials. The design of cars, planes, roads, bridges and speed-of-light trains revolve around science and technology. In areas of medicine, various strides are being made in discovering new medications and new medical processes.
Women do not want to be left out in this great era of technological and scientific change. Therefore, it is critical for women, despite the existing stereotypes and societal norms, to take up the challenge and delve into science and engineering courses. It is also critical to note that science and engineering careers have been largely known to pay handsomely well. This is a chance for women to grab and improve their living standards, as well as command respect in society by affirming that what men can do, they can do too.
