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College Admissions Essay: Equality For Women In STEM

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Equality For Women In STEM
“Women make up only 28% of the workforce in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college”(AAUW). Merriam Webster defines equality as the quality or state of being equal. Women have tried for years to get equality for women in STEM. This is something important to me because this is my future. I plan to help increase the percentage of women in STEM by pursuing my passion of being an engineer. I have had personal experiences that have to do with the equality of women in STEM, that have only pushed me to continue this career. On the other hand, there are many women who are discouraged at a young age and decide not to go into STEM. Another reason …show more content…

Women struggle to decrease the gender gap and become equals because of their own fear, discouragement from others, and the difference in pay.
I have wanted to be an engineer for as long as I can remember because it runs in my family. I love math and problem solving, and being a woman in STEM has always interested me. Knowing that women only make up a small percentage of the STEM workforce only encouraged me more. I knew that my highschool offered engineering class or math classes that would help me get further to my goal. I also knew that the classes consisted of mostly males. I know that this engineering class had multiple incidents when the class had no girls and only men. In the beginning, this did discourage me. I was nervous of being the only girl, especially knowing that the grades for this class ranged from freshman to seniors. I decided to look into other career options, even considering teaching. It was until I started to see the facts of women in STEM and the gender gap, that I had decided I wanted to help be a part of the change. I was a senior when I had finally decided to sign up for the college engineering class taking place at my highschool. After joining the …show more content…

Before the 1900’s, women didn’t have the same opportunities as men. White privileged men were given what they needed to become successful such as: education, opportunities, and well paying jobs. Women started campaigning for equal rights in the 19th century. After many years of fighting, they eventually got equal rights in education and started joining the STEM workforce in 1950. Still, after over 70 years the fight for equal rights is still continuing. As stated in an article by AAUW, “Men in STEM annual salaries are nearly $15,000 higher per year than women ($85,000 compared to $60,828). And Latina and Black women in STEM earn around $33,000 less (at an average of around $52,000 a year)”

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