When it comes to finding your place on Grounds as a younger female student, participating in male-dominated spaces can feel difficult and oftentimes intimidating. Whether that’s at the gym, a STEM class, or a competitive club, holding your own as a first year student is already a challenge, and being a young woman is sometimes an added layer of pressure. As you juggle the early adjustments of the semester, here are three tips to help while on Grounds.
Disclaimer: Being in a male-dominated space is not inherently negative; these three tips strictly serve the purpose of helping younger women on Grounds who may be intimidated by situations in which they are the gender minority, not to put down these situations.
1) There is power in numbers – make a friend!
As a girl who loves to lift, I still get nervous in a packed gym. Despite all of the progress I have made throughout my years in the gym, squatting half of the weight of the guy next to you can be intimidating. The easiest way to manage situations like that is to make a friend. Having a girl to encourage you, hype you up before a set, or even just hold you accountable makes a scary college gym a bit more comforting. This same principle can be applied to classes and student organizations that have more men than women. Simply having a friend to save you a seat in class makes a huge difference in feeling like you “fit in.” (For more gym-specific advice, check out chapter member Savannah Hafer’s article about getting out of bed and getting to the gym)!
2) Don’t get in your own head – no one is overanalyzing your presence but you.
A common struggle that I notice many girls face is that we assume other people are judging us, when in reality, we are our biggest critics. No one cares about how much weight you are lifting, that you got a question wrong, or that you are one of the few girls in your class. Rather, you are holding yourself back from your potential to grow.
3) Drop the stereotypes – you are only hurting yourself.
Even if you may feel intimidated as a younger woman in a typically male-dominated academic pursuit (let’s say, for example, finance), it is important to separate your doubts from your ability to continue to work towards your goals. You don’t need to be a “finance bro” or be intimidated that you don’t fit the ideal stereotype you have in your mind. Your identity as a young woman can be separate from your academic ambitions.