In case some might wonder, S.T.E.M. stands for four specific disciplines - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Before moving on to the main topic, I would rather tell a story about myself.
When I was just a little girl, I was fascinated by maths and science. My IT and Maths teacher would pay a compliment to me whenever I was able to solve difficult tests, which gradually grew my confidence and assertiveness with STEM subjects. Therefore, I used to dream of becoming a STEM girl.
It was when I turned to grade 6 and faced a new environment with such excellent boys that I began to doubt myself whether I was competent enough to pursue Math. I consulted my older brother and he responded:
“Girls usually cannot follow their paths in maths and science. Take my female friends as an example, they even have to burn the midnight oil to get their work finished on time and sometimes can no longer handle it. Boys, on the other hand, can make a shorter yet better work than girls, as far as I am concerned.”
He even went as far as to analyze how rare and how inferior girls are to boys when it comes to science subjects, claiming that it is destined by birth. Eventually, I did opt out of the math specialized class, which I bitterly regretted later on.
A year later, just before vying for my dream high school, I stuck to my gun on choosing Maths and English. Those were really fabulous days to me, especially when I was the girl who got the highest score on a Maths competition at my school. However, even though I was really passionate about learning Maths, I could not unhear all the pessimistic words around me. People would then say that I absolutely did not go on the right track and that I, as a girl, would fail if I chose to specialize in Maths in high school. I was pressured to think more for “success possibility” than “personal interest” and gradually became worried and doubted my ability to beat boys over Maths. Eventually, I chose to pursue English as a safe ticket to my dream school – Le Quy Don high school for the gifted. I was admitted to the school, though not with real great satisfaction.
Never could I deny that I was totally knocked down by social prejudice, but I would blame more on my cowardice. I looked up to the girls in Maths class, who were so much braver, and stronger to ignore all social prejudice. I talked and confided in them once or twice and realized two things:
You never know if you don’t even try
Social prejudice is surely hurtful and powerful, as it makes you confront the whole society, challenging your own personal interest by the opinions of many others. However, in the end, social prejudice is mere opinion and assumption deduced from life experience and observation. Noting the fact that life is always changing, anybody can become a special, irregular exception, anybody can be the one to change the prejudice as long as he or she gathers enough courage and confidence to do so.
Fail is not the end, but the start
A cliché yet important phrase to carve into one’s mind. People stop girls from pursuing S.T.E.M. as they believe those are boyish subjects and boys can be more competent at them than girls. Even so, what is the matter? Learning concentrates more on the enthusiasm and curiosity to dig into the knowledge, rather than mere competition with peers. As a matter of fact, such competition is a never-ending one since there are always people better than you. Therefore, let’s change the view a bit. Boys are usually better than girls at S.T.E.M. so we can learn more from them as their classmates. Who cares if you are a loser if you have friends that are better than you and can help you improve? One might fail, but such a failure would act as a motivation to work hard and fulfill one’s dream.
Unlike the pastime, when men were more likely to study STEM rather than women, women these days are not restricted to follow what they want to learn. Modern parents in developed countries are having a change of heart: they let their daughters learn and study whatever they like. As the development of the quality of global studies, women are now more accepted and have more open opportunities to follow their dreams and passions, especially in developed countries. In girls’ schools, girls are no longer afraid of being compared to the other sex; therefore, they are able to follow their nose or even give STEM education a try. STEM not only brings girls advanced knowledge and experimentation, but it also fosters ingenuity, creativity, and encourages teamwork.
On the other hand, in developing countries like Vietnam, girls are not promoted enough. Even though there are much larger groups of girls who choose STEM, the belief that girls are not good at and should not learn these scientific subjects still remains in traditional families. According to recent research, every two out of five parents would still want their daughters to make a choice of learning subjects such as Vietnamese, Geography, and foreign languages.
All in all, as a feminist, I regard the opportunities for girls as the same as boys. There are probably plenty of issues to consider; however, girls should be promoted to whatever they desire to, especially those who are interested in STEM subjects.