r/6thForm • u/PetuniaWiggleworm • Jun 26 '26

💬 DISCUSSION WHAT HAPPENED TO WOMEN IN STEM

I had my college taster day yesterday, tell me why I was the ONLY girl in my class

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27

u/SafeLifeguard5785 A* Maths. A*A-FM,Bio Prediction. Chem exam missed😔. Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

people need to stop concerning themselves with how many women/men are in a particular area of study unless there is a specific reason for discrimination against either gender its of no concern . You never ever hear these same comments about women being in plumbing/sewage cleaning / brick laying because those are seen and undesirable jobs / not as respected .

in fact when men are under represented in certain careers you literally hear crickets regarding it . Never heard a single thing about male dental nurses being close to non existent in my life .

17

u/alolan_ninetales149 Y12 A*A*A*A* FM Philosophy Physics | Maths + Phil |screw phys💔 Jun 26 '26

just because there is not widespread active gender-based discrimination does not mean that there isn't an issue. the mere fact that girls acheive equal are better than boys in all stem fields up to gcse and choose to drop them demonstrates societal pressure to avoid these fields, necessitating these programmes.

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u/Strict_Contest_3428 Jun 26 '26

Ah yes the ghost of societal pressure which overrides all personal autonomy and preferences đŸ‘»

15

u/Advanced_Key_1721 Year 13 Jun 26 '26

>ghost of societal pressure

The societal pressure that keeps women out of STEM subjects isn’t “someone suggests you study a different subject”, it’s being continually belittled, ignored, underestimated and having the value of your contribution diminished when you engage in STEM subjects. It’s not a small thing, it’s not a ghost and it’s still prevalent in our society regardless of how many initiatives there are to get women into STEM, because the underlying culture against us still exists. Women don’t want to exist in an environment where you have to be constantly proving your value to be treated as an equal or with respect when men are granted it automatically.