Gender Gap In America

From Marie Curie to Rosalind Franklin, women throughout history have made some of the most ground breaking discoveries in science. From discovering the molecular structure of the DNA to understanding radioactivity, women have pioneered outstanding revelations despite having to deal with the oppression and sexism of decades. With so much capability and potential, women are still severely underrepresented in the science community— with more than half of its degree-holders being men. However, the question still remains: Why is the gender gap in American society so large in science and engineering fields?

Over the last decade, America has crossed several scientific boundaries; breaking down walls and racing through obstacles. We, as a society,

I found that if you’re female, you have this underlying need to constantly prove yourself to your peers. Whereas, if your male, naturally no one cares if you're doing the home work or not you can still be considered “smart.” Somehow, women receive less motivation and encouragement when it comes to pursuing a career in science. In the New York Time article “Why Are There Still So Few Women in Science?” Eileen Pollack (2013) states that “For proof of the stereotypes that continue to shape American attitudes… you need only watch an episode of the popular television show ‘The Big Bang Theory’ about a group of awkward but endearing male Caltech physicists and their neighbor, Penny, an attractive blonde who has moved to L.A. to make it as an actress.” However, another woman in the show, Amy, who is romantically involved with Sheldon (a well-known, main character who is seen as extremely bright) is presented as dumpy and fairly insecure although, she also, is very smart. Pollack thus proves to say, “And what remotely normal young woman would want to imagine herself as dowdy, socially clueless Amy rather than as stylish, bouncy, math-and-science-illiterate Penny?” (Pollack, 2013). In this statement, Pollack makes a great accusation. Girls and women everywhere are taught that if you wear makeup and dress nice, you’re probably an airhead. And if you’re smart and study all the time, you’re likely to be insecure and socially handicapped. Thus, society creates this two-part category that we, as women, have to squeeze into. You can either be dumb and confident or smart and shy. So, what woman in their right mind would want to be sad, self-conscious and