As a neuroscience major on the pre-med track, I take a large amount of science classes. Over the past two semesters, I have taken four science courses and labs, ranging from Organic Chemistry to Biology to Psychology. Although all these courses were in different subfields of the natural sciences, one thing remained: the majority of my classmates were men. At first, this isn’t shocking, because it is historically proven that men are more likely to study these fields. But in relation to Skidmore College, the numbers were shocking. Skidmore is 60 percent female and 40 percent male, yet in my science courses, it almost felt reversed. And it’s not just my classmates; of the eight professors I have had, only two were female.
Considering Skidmore is a liberal arts institution, it may come as no surprise that the social sciences are dominant majors; in fact, a science major wasn’t listed until number seven on the list of most popular majors. Being in a class with triple the number of men than women is pretty intimidating. You feel backed into a corner as if you have become the ambassador of your gender; you feel like you have to succeed, because if one female fails, we all do. And it shouldn’t have to be like that; I want to be out researching, discovering cures for diseases, and building bridges, not cooking and cleaning. I want people to see my intelligence and not see me as the exception, but as one of many beautiful and strong women in STEM. Personally, I think we need more women in STEM, because we can’t let men have all the fun!
Live, love, girls in STEM.