Daily Herald opinion: We need more women to inspire girls to take on STEM careers
As our economy continues to shift toward more jobs in the interconnected fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), a disparity remains in the number of women working in such fields.
A 2020 international study on the demographics of the STEM arena suggests in many countries the number of women lag behind men in these pursuits because girls are not encouraged to pursue such career paths, they aren't given the same study time as boys in these areas and there remain biases against girls who do express an interest.
But the same study points out that in the United States, females between 16 and 24 perform at almost exactly the same level as male counterparts in these fields.
The study anecdotally notes that more boys identified with male peers as being knowledgeable about biology when it was the girls who performed better.
To be sure, the U.S. is doing a much better job than many countries of providing the kind of encouragement at lower grade levels that results in girls showing an interest in STEM curricula in high school and then pursuing them in college.
Without support and encouragement, however, it is unlikely we'll reach the kind of gender equity the STEM fields need.
Enter Ruby Arun, a sophomore at Fremd High School in Palatine, who has been participating in school math teams since third grade.
The 15-year-old Inverness girl has a mission to inspire other girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math fields.
Our Madhu Krishnamurthy wrote this week about Ruby being recognized by the Palatine Township Elementary District 15 school board after her organization "Mission: MathMinds" donated more than 2,000 books to schools in the district.
This was done as part of the district's STEM Awareness Campaign, which collected more than 15,000 books worth about $160,000.
This winter, Mission: MathMinds' mentors, including Ruby, visited elementary and middle schools and foster care programs in the elementary district to spread awareness of and enthusiasm for STEM careers.
Last year, Mission: MathMinds held a number of events for girls, among them a national conference in Arlington Heights on female role models in STEM fields. Her website, missionmathminds.org, includes conversations with female leaders in STEM.
It's not happening in Palatine alone.
Elgin High School is holding its annual National Biodiversity Teach-In on Fridays in February, starting today. As part of that, the school will feature on Feb. 10 a day of sessions with nearly all female presenters for the United Nations' International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
Speakers will include women who study shark conservation, Arctic contaminants, polar bear ecology and whales.
We need more young people like Ruby and more efforts like Elgin High School's to provide the kind of inspiration that our girls need to enter STEM fields, which will become richer by their presence.