As said before , there has been significant and undeniable progress in the last 3 decades , and the case for women in STEM is not a hopeless one . The first step we can make as individuals is to acknowledge our unconscious bias . Although many of us like to think of ourselves as unbiased and fair , these biases are likely to creep up on us anyway , whether it be as a result of our past experiences or background . Everyone is subject to forming these biases , and it is key that both women and men become actively aware of the stereotypes that slip into our everyday language or thought process , and to question yourself- “ Why am I thinking
What can be done ?
this way ?”. Exposing yourself to counter stereotyping imagery is also effective , and this can be as simple as having a female scientist as your screensaver , for example .
On an institutional level , professor Joyce Wong ( professor of engineering at Boston University , and co-author of a paper that describes new policy to increase gender diversity in STEM ) claims closing the STEM gap would look like prioritizing mentorship for underrepresented groups and creating policies that are more family-friendly to equalize career impacts . This is because researchers are evaluated based on their number of years in a postdoctoral position or the number of papers they have published , but pregnancy or child-rearing can disrupt this timeline for women and disproportionately benefit men . Genderneutral family leave policies would equalize responsibilities between men and women . Lastly , promotion panels should be equally represented by women and men , since all-male panels are less likely to promote women .
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Supporting women in STEM , regardless of your own gender identity , is what will allow real progress to reveal itself .