The Gender Equality Checkpoint

[DanaC]

An additional thought:

I wonder, what it was that drew in the women already working in STEM. What was it about physics, or engineering, or coding that got them so interested as girls? What was it about their learning environment that made them feel that was open to them, despite the barriers that companies like IBM are now trying to address?

Maybe IBM could consult with them. Find out what got them interested in science and technology and what made them as girls follow that path. That might inform a useful campaign. Unless, of course, were suggesting that those women were unlike other girls, because they were interested in science and technology.

More research into why girls drop away might also be useful. Much of the research that has been done has looked at the jump between junior and senior as a natural drop-off point around puberty. That's useful - and the sudden importance of gender during puberty is likely to be a factor - with girls becoming far more focused on expressing their femininity than they would have been before puberty, the idea of 'boys' subjects and 'girls' subjects is likely to gain additional weight for some. But that doesn't have to become the trap that it is at the moment. If we demasculinise science then it should become less of an issue for young people focused on establishing their gender roles and identities.

But there are other drop off points throughout that are more problematic. When kids reach that age there's a drop off from STEM across the board. As soon as subjects become optional and it becomes possible to specialise people drop away, girls and boys. It's uneven at the moment, but that's changing. The drop off rate becomes more uneven as you progress through the higher levels of education and into industry. So, what is happening to those girls who were interested in those subjects, and who saw the value of scientific curiosity and then dropped away?

You won't get more girls by focussing on beauty products. There's a small chance you might get a different group of girls - but I very much doubt that a girl with no interest in scientific subjects, or engineering will change her mind because someone showed her how to hack a hairdryer. The girl who will be interested in hacking a hair dryer, was probably already into science and tech, rather than already being into harirdryers.