For women, especially in science, technology, engineering and math-related fields, recognition in the workplace has been difficult to receive. But some women have persevered and found ways to make their mark in the STEM world.
Lori Dribin, professor and assistant dean of Student Affairs of the College of Medical Sciences, said she was always interested in STEM despite opposition she faced from male counterparts.
“Being a female was not a concern of mine; however, I went to college during the Vietnam War, so there were a lot of guys who said I could not get an M.A. because men were supposed to get drafted, and women were supposed to have babies,” she said.
Dribin said the 1950s were an interesting and difficult time for women. The men had gone off to fight in the Vietnam War, and women were working for the first time, maintaining jobs as the men were away. When the men came back from the war, many women were conflicted with deciding whether they wanted to stay in the workplace or become stay-at-home moms to stay true to society’s gender roles of the time. As it turned out, after the men returned from the war, many women became pregnant and returned to the housewife role. For those who decided to continue working or go to college, it was difficult to get hired.
“In many ways, women had to be better than men,” Dribin said. “I remember growing up, and I would ask my brother about medicine and science, and he would tell me that there were only a few women in his class, and, although they were very well-harassed, they were extremely bright.”
Dribin said that, even if a woman is able to hold her own in an academic or professional setting, she still often faces the risk of sexual discrimination.
Dribin also said that, when she was in college, women went to school and got degrees only to work underneath their husband’s authority. Even today, although women are becoming more accepted within STEM fields, their ability to be aggressive and in charge is still undermined.
“Although we are seeing changes in gender roles, discrimination amongst women in the work force definitely still exists,” Dribin said. “I remember after presenting a seminar I was criticized for being too aggressive and not aggressive enough.”
While some women have faced opposition from others, many women pursuing careers in STEM face internal challenges.
Aarti Raja, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences of the Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, said, although she is highly successful, her biggest adversary is herself.
“I remember having this constant feeling that would force me to ask myself, ‘Am I good enough to be in this field?’” Raja said. “Now that I think about it, I think I thought that because there were people around me constantly indicating that this was a field dominated by men, and so it forced me to put unneeded pressure on myself.”
Raja said women who want to pursue careers in STEM should not feel intimidated, and that there is a huge misconception that women cannot excel in the work field while maintaining a family.
“When I work with little children, I never see any differences in interest for STEM-associated subjects; however, somehow, between then and when they reach college, I see fewer and fewer women getting degrees in those fields,” Raja said. “I think that society is maybe discouraging them by constantly promoting these fields as male-dominated.”
Raja stressed the importance of hard work and believing in oneself.
“You have to be the best of the best to make it,” she said. “As a woman and coming from a society that expresses very specific roles for women, to succeed, there is that pressure of giving 100 percent at [your] job and at home, but you can do it. I did it.”
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