From an early age, many young girls and women grow up surrounded by misconceptions and stereotypes of designated gender roles and possible career pathways. Their visions and goals for a realistic successful future can feel limiting due to history, their peers, and society in general.
Whether it’s from a lack of role models in the field, or limited access to education and resources, there is an underrepresentation of women in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) field.
According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, women only make up 28 percent of the STEM workforce across the United States, even though they make up 47 percent of the entire workforce. The disproportionate representation is not only limiting to the next generation of workers but also limits the potential field itself.
Though the gap has decreased over the years, many local organizations are working to combat the issue and provide resources, education, expos and other support for women in STEM.
For girls in grades K-12, the
Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana (GSNI-M) are helping foster a love for STEM. The GSNI-M is hosting its ninth annual
STEM Expo this Saturday at Purdue University Fort Wayne. The expo is open to the public and aims to unlock the limitless possibilities in science, technology, engineering and math. From 9 a.m. to noon, students will be able to explore interactive tabletop activities like robotics, animal science, nature 3D printing, and more.
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CourtesyA Girl Scout experience virtual reality technology at the STEM Expo.
Claire Forrest is the chief marketing officer for the Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana. She says the local Girl Scouts chapter is focused on providing programming, resources, and mentors within the STEM field to girls at various stages of their development.
“We know from research that women and girls are underrepresented at every stage of the STEM pipeline,” Forrest says. “From their early childhood interest to the STEM majors they’re pursuing in college, we see less girls pursuing those at this stage. We at the Girl Scouts level are really focused on what we can do to help them with that early childhood interest. We know that girls and boys, though they do not differ in their math or science abilities, they differ in that interest level.”
The expo also provides breakout sessions for middle and high school-age students, where they can learn about different types of educational pathways. These career-focused sessions allow students to interact with women who hold STEM titles and meet new mentors. Different local businesses represented include BFGoodrich, Ivy Tech, Purdue University Fort Wayne, and more.
Last year, the event brought around 150 people to the expo, and Forrest hopes this year’s expo can be even bigger. Past attendees have met representatives at the event, and gone on to land internships and create future connections. Forrest’s favorite part about attending the event is seeing girls excited to explore so many activities while they’re at the expo.
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CourtesyWhile walking through the Girl Scouts' STEM Expo, attendees see interactive demos and speak with women who work in STEM.“This event is jam-packed for the time that you're here, and we see girls lining up to come in right at 9 a.m.,” she says. “They’re enjoying themselves the entire time they’re here, along with their caregivers who are seeing, learning, and engaging with them.”
Throughout the year, Girl Scouts also offers different patch programs, like maker spaces with robotics or rockets, and inspires girls to dream big for their future careers. Showing mentors who are similar to the girls, or highlighting a potential college discipline or professional job is important, says Forrest.
“It helps empower them to be the next generation of leaders,” she says. “We know that women make up more than half of the U.S. workforce, but they hold less than a quarter of STEM jobs. Our mission is to help build them into girls of courage, confidence, and character.”
When it comes to the local
tech ecosystem, Lindsay Lott, founder and president of the nonprofit
Fort Wayne Tech, hopes to add helpful pieces to the puzzle. Lott works in IT as a digital operations manager and serves as the STEM coordinator for the Region 8 Education Service Center of Northeast Indiana. She originally started her career as a special education math and science teacher, where she became fascinated with data and statistics. To further pursue that interest, she left education and became more involved with the IT and tech space.
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Adrion Anderson with Stills N MotionLindsay Lott, founder and president of the nonprofit Fort Wayne TechThe organization, which launched in January, is dedicated to empowering the local tech community and combating ‘brain drain’ in greater Fort Wayne through community engagement, lifelong learning, career pathways, and innovation.”
“We kind of came together out of a professional meetup group, after identifying some issues in our tech community and our tech support and education opportunities in Fort Wayne,” Lott says.
Lott describes the concept of ‘brain drain,’ and how it’s impacting the Midwest, including the state of Indiana.
“Brain drain is when a particular talent or education moves away from an area. It tends to be an issue in the Midwest in general, and in Indiana, people are moving away to larger cities or the coast to find more opportunities or better pay. We’re trying to resolve that in our region specifically.”
Fort Wayne Tech aims to develop individuals in technology and STEAM, which includes art. The organization hosts many community events and is in the process of developing programs like summer camps, after-school K-12 programs, and professional development opportunities. One of their larger events was hosting
Women IN Tech Week for Northeast Indiana in September.
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Adrion Anderson with Stills N MotionPanelist speak to attendees at the Kickoff Brunch for Fort Wayne Tech's Women in STEM Week.“Indiana Women in Tech Week is an initiative to help bring visibility to STEM careers for girls and women specifically,” Lott says. “That just started this past year, and it’s a statewide initiative. They have a lot of data resources about women and girls in their careers.”
The state’s initiatives are focused on increasing the number of women pursuing STEM-related careers and increasing the number of women in leadership positions in the STEM field, to name a few.
“They figured out that by age 35, women tend to leave tech careers or STEM careers,” Lott explains. “We’re trying to figure out how to stop that from happening, provide more resources, and get women a seat at the table where they’re not taking minutes, but participating in the conversation as the leaders that they are.”
Lott hopes to continue to grow Fort Wayne Tech to assist folks along each step of their career. Currently in the works are a mentor/mentee connection station, job shadow and internship opportunities, and a resource library and skills directory on the website.
To learn more about coffee meetups, monthly mixers, and more from Fort Wayne Tech, visit their website.
There is no Girl Scout membership required to attend the STEM expo on Saturday, October 19. Pre-registration is available online for breakout sessions, but walk-ins are also welcome.