Women and Gender Studies (Research Paper Sample)

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Women and Gender Studies
It has always been thought that past efforts from women of the older generation had helped in fighting the battle over equality. However, decades later and society still experiences social problems it thought it had eliminated a long time ago. The minority still continues to suffer in society. Racism and gender inequality are still high on the list of societal discrimination. Women and blacks still find it hard to fit in a society excessively dominated by whites and male population. Gender inequality for instance, has affected women in numerous places including their homes, institutions, and work places. For instance, women have always been perceived to be poor in technical subjects and the myth still continues to roll on. There is no real story behind this, but it is argued that women are simply not good enough for the subject. This does not mean that there have never been successful women in the field of science and engineering. But this perception has had a negative effect on the female population on how they view these two disciplines. Because society believes that, most women have been brainwashed into believing that science and mathematics is not meant for women. However, this is not the case. All human beings are equal and what a man does can also be performed admirably by a woman. The purpose of this paper is to found out why a lot of women dislike or drop out of science and engineering courses. The paper also aims at discussing ways that can be used to solve this societal myth.
In America, it has been noted that women tend to quit science and engineering at a faster rate than their male counterparts. Statistics show that this gender gap is created by women’s lack of interest and dissatisfaction with promotion opportunities and pay packages. This gender gap is correlated with a high number of men in this industry. This means that as women quit this field, they are replaced almost at the same rate with men. One way of reducing this gap is balancing the male dominated fields by hiring females. Political analysts in America believe that the lack of enough women in scientific publishing and world patenting is a cause for concern. These analysts argue that this problem has been fuelled by ignoring female scientists and engineers. Most of them have not been afforded adequate time they need to pursue this subject. This problem can be solved by simply recruiting the underrepresented group, that is, women in science and engineering fields.
Barriers to professional entry can be put into two different ways, emphasizing on the two stages where obstacles may occur. There is a threshold where gender does not play any role in women underrepresentation in science and engineering. The next stage is where women meet obstacles that prevent them from further pursuing these subjects. For instance, there are some leading universities that block women from attaining full professorship in science related departments. Thus, the threshold barrier affects women at an early stage of their career, while the glass ceiling effect becomes a barrier at latter stages of careers. Generally, women face barrier to entry at almost every stage of their careers. These barriers are categorized into a number of groups including socialization barriers, academic advising, and career choice. Socialization barriers refer to societal problems and beliefs hindering women from matching men in the field of science and engineering. For instance, impaired self-confidence amongst girls is a major barrier towards such achievements. Most girls usually believe at an early age that they are not good enough for such practices. They end up pursuing “easy” subjects when they were not interested in taking in the first place. There is also an issue of stereotyping amongst women. Stereotyping has not only affected women but all members of society who believe in stereotyping. For instance, women have been made to believe that they are poor in mathematics and sciences, which instils fear in them. This is what happens in science and engineering. Most girls always need encouragement, b given task and then rewarded for their performance. This is what happens mostly in elementary and high schools. In college, girls experience a different life altogether. The lack of interpersonal touch with lecturers is the main reason girls fail in these disciplines. Since most girls lack socialization skills, their development is hampered in the process. Another problem facing women is self-confidence. Most women who join colleges to pursue degree in either science or engineering have low degree of self-confidence. Most women from graduate schools have admitted that the experience in those institutions lowered their self-confidence. They left the schools in poor shape than when they got in. thus, most women become disinterested in science courses as soon as they finish their degree and may even fail to look for job. Women always tend to be insecure and any negative comment from professors could cripple them. Problem of self-confidence arises then things are not going to plan. For instance, if a lady expects an A in a particular exam and ends up scoring an A-, the result can upset her. Ladies tend to give too much attention to details and this is what differentiates them with men. This low self-confidence in women normally translates into attrition. Because of the low aspirations coupled with low self-confidence, most women lack the urge to apply for a job they perceive to be tough in the first place.
Another societal problem affecting women in science and engineering is family needs and marriage. Some organizations for example, are very cautious when employing women. These organizations fear that women in most cases succumb to pressures of child bearing and other family needs. Child bearing for instance keeps women away for a period not less than six months. During this period, an organization can lose a lot if the woman in question is the leader of a particular group. Employers also feel that women’s passion for work especially in science and engineering fields becomes daunting prospect to women as soon as they settle down. They become more attached to their families than work and this is what most employers fear. Women have also been known to put relationships above their jobs. That weak personality increases their vulnerability in the field of science and engineering.
Another reason why women opt against science and engineering is because of academic advising. Science and engineering are different from other disciplines because these subjects require a close working relationship between students and their lecturers. This relationship should not end when a student graduates but should be continue even in the professional lives of students. Previous research indicates that women tend to have negative interactional patterns with male advisors. This negativity tends to reduce chances of advancement in the future. Experiences female have with male advisors range from criticism to supportive. For instance, a female student once felt she had no value when a lecturer informed her that she will be employed no matter the result. This made the women question her worth to the firm and wanted to know whether she was being employed because of her value or the or because the firm needed to hire female employees. Females also suffer this fate because according to experts, women lack negotiation knowledge in academic system. These experts further argue that women choose advisers without giving a thought why the need them. They do not choose advisors because they need them but because of other reasons such liking them among many other reasons. When women lack advisors willing to encourage and direct them, women come up with ways that will get them out of graduation school. Thus, it is safe to say that most women lack the socialization skills needed to understand political strategies crucial to advancement in academic systems. Most women face these challenges while pursuing their degree, thus, feel discouraged to further their studies because they feel they are likely to experience similar problems.
Women have also failed in technical subjects because of career choice. A study conducted on career choice indicated that women favor pursuing industrial careers over academic careers. This because they feel that industry job is more flexible because it gives them time for other activities. Women for instance like being near their families, thus, feel an industrial job suit them well. Moreover, most women feel that they are more respected when they work in low level jobs than taking part in those technical jobs. In recent years, women have resigned from respectable positions to jobs where they feel more respected and valued. These women felt that science and engineering is men dominated that most activities carried out by women go unnoticed. Females feel that their efforts in science have been thwarted by over-recognition of women. For example, in cumulative work involving both genders, men are continuously credited while women efforts go unnoticed. This can kill the morale of anybody even those who can persevere more. Women also feel that their contributions are normally viewed as average and perceived to be known by everybody. Women also feel devalued when they are left out of important events. For example, a female student once felt aggravated when a lecturer introduced male students to a visitor but did not introduce the female students. Most women also believe that they are eve...