A highly charged memo that went viral two weeks ago from a now-fired Google software engineer suggests a wide range of reasons that women are underrepresented in technology fields. It misses the most obvious causes for their absence: For many, the doors are closed before they leave elementary school.
According to a recent study, when 5-year-olds are told a story about an extremely smart person, they believe the person matches their own gender. At age 6, girls "are less likely than boys to believe that members of their gender are 'really, really smart.' Also at age 6, girls begin to avoid activities said to be for children who are 'really, really smart.'"
Although negative gender perception doesn't affect all girls, that challenge is compounded by school systems that don't set high standards for all students, media imagery that doesn't reflect the abilities of women and minorities in complex careers and a lack of visible role models in those fields. Tracking and prerequisites for rigorous math and science classes also affect girls and minorities. When they shy or are steered away from activities for "really, really smart" people, they are unlikely to have taken the prerequisites, and thus have fewer opportunities to discover a love for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Adding to those barriers is the fact that too many students attend high school in STEM deserts — areas that don't offer advanced math and science classes that are independently assessed for rigor. With math and science forming foundational skills across career fields, these students in largely rural and urban areas lack critical opportunities.
Having taught calculus to low-income and minority students in the Dallas ISD and now working with schools around the country, I have seen what girls and boys from across the socioeconomic spectrum can accomplish when they have highly trained and supported teachers, attend schools that set high standards for everyone and get the support they need to succeed.
The Dallas-based National Math and Science Initiative works with more than 1,000 U.S. schools and has influenced the lives of more than 1.5 million students in rigorous math, science and English courses. We work to eradicate STEM deserts to ensure all students have the knowledge and skills they need regardless of the careers to which they aspire.
There are myriad reasons for the relative lack of women and minorities in STEM fields, none of which are about innate potential or ability. Fortunately, there is a broad opportunity to address those challenges through the public school system.
Gregg Fleisher is president of the National Math and Science Initiative, which supports schools, teachers and students in several Dallas-area districts. He wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News. Email: gfleisher@nms.org