As we talk about narrowing the gender gap, there remains a serious under representation of women in STEM fields(Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
Traditionally, these fields have been dominated by men but recent trends show a large number of females are now pursuing STEM paths.
One pioneer for women in STEM was Grace Hopper who led the way for females to become an important part of the field of STEM.
Grace was a mathematician and a leader in her industry. As one of the programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer, her work helped lead to the development of COBOL language and many other programming aspects.
There are many more women who have become influential in the STEM field. We need to hear their stories.
At a recent event, one woman spoke as to why she thought women did not pursue careers in STEM – being from a small town, she simply was not exposed to people in the STEM field thus a career in STEM had never occurred to her.
The next generation of young girls are more likely to be exposed to careers in STEM through use of technology in schools or after school programs such as Girls Learning Code (part of Ladies Learning Code). In addition, many youth now have access to computers and tablets where they can access programs like Slack, Thimble, Pixlr and more.
Access to the internet has opened a whole new world to girls everywhere who can now learn tech at home. I expect we will see many more girls in STEM before long.