Encourage girls to pursue their dreams that relate to STEM

The first 15 years of the 21st century in education have seen rapid innovation and growth in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Yet, today’s test scores in these fields confirm that America’s students continue to fall behind their international counterparts.

Meanwhile, our girls have been entering the STEM fields, already extremely male dominated, in embarrassingly limited numbers, thereby depriving the nation of a pool of talent and ingenuity that is so very critical to Hawaii’s (and America’s) long-term economic competitiveness and well being.

There is additional disturbing data to consider: Women constitute 47 percent of the workforce at 31 million strong. Yet, in the U.S., women accounted for only 26 percent of computing professionals in 2015 and received only 19.9 percent of the engineering degrees awarded in the same time period.

Further, if current trends continue, women are not expected to see equal pay with their male counterparts until the year 2051. They are now making 83 cents per dollar nationally compared with similarly employed men.

But, we know that this troublesome data can be altered by an active pursuit of job opportunities in STEM, which is the fastest growing field of employment with new jobs added every day.

STEM jobs ranging from a research assistant to a biomedical engineer, all offer higher pay; 63 percent of STEM professionals make more than an individual with a bachelor’s degree in any other field.

STEM professions pay women 33 percent more than other jobs. Currently, however, women hold less than 22 percent of the STEM positions in Hawaii, even though an additional 16,000 STEM skilled employees are needed each year.

Allow me to share some recommendations to bringing our girls into the future STEM workforce:

>> Change the way our culture has portrayed scientists and engineers by eliminating the long-held popular misconception and negative stereotyping that such fields as computing are too hard for females. Trumpet the news that STEM skills and competencies can be learned by all, and that they are not innately masculine.

>> Encourage every girl to pursue her dreams of becoming an astronaut, computer scientist, engineer, industrial designer or mathematician. STEM is not just for men; it’s there for every human being.

>> Frame adversity as a common experience for everyone so that challenging coursework in secondary schools or college does not selectively signal to female students that they do not belong in engineering, computing science, technology or mathematics. Average students can, and do, excel in STEM areas.

>> Pair interest and enthusiasm in STEM with exciting and intense robotics competitions, cyberspace safety exercises, programmatic science projects and technology applications. Retain a persistent commitment from, and partnership with, STEM business community mentors, such as BAE Systems, Hawaiian Electric Industries and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, to meet often and enthusiastically with our girls.

Our ultimate goal is to move each young lady to where she recognizes her growing capabilities to achieve a STEM career with more equal salaries, and that choosing such a path is not foreboding or unachievable.

We must let girls know time and again that they are a vital part to building a strong U.S. economy by tapping into what has been a huge source of underdeveloped, world-class talent.

When our girls thrive, communities prosper, and we are much better for it. A gender-neutral STEM workforce will incalculably strengthen the goodness and harmony that humanity can achieve.

Betty White is head of school for Sacred Hearts Academy, an all-girls school in Kaimuki, which will host its annual Science Symposium for Girls on Feb. 20.