Graduation Year

2023

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Education

Faculty Advisor

Kathleen Scibelli

Abstract

Women consist of only 27% of workers within the STEM fields while men make up the remaining 73% (Martinez). Several causes contribute to this drastic difference, with one of the main reasons being the lack of confidence that women have in these subject areas. Their lack of confidence often begins in the elementary and middle school grades as a result of teacher bias, fixed mindsets, and a lack of role models, causing young girls to shy away from STEM and turn toward other interests. However, there are ways to fix this problem and if teachers are willing to put the energy into it, classrooms can become places that encourage young girls to pursue STEM careers later in life, rather than discourage them.

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