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VanessaRuiz
ProfessorDitch
English113A
05November2014
ThePinkAisle
Intodayswesterntoysindustry,manytoysforgirlsinvolvemakeup,dolls,barbiesorthe
colorpink.TheresnotmuchtoysforgirlsthatinvolvetheSTEMfields:science,technology,
engineeringandmath.Whiletheboysgettobuildandconstructtheircreationsandpreventing
girlshavingthatprivilege.ThebookComposingGenderstatedthatgenderinthewestern
societyhasbeensociallyconstructed.AscreenshotofthebeginningofaGoldieblox
commercial,acompanythatbuildsengineeringtoysforlittlegirls,caughtmyattentionbecause
itwasapictureofthegirlstoysectionatastore,whichisalsoknownasthepinkaislewithour
girlsdeservemorewrittenontopofthepicture.Societyhasconstructedanimageoftoysthat
thegirlsshouldplaywith.TheyalsoconstructedthatScience,technology,engineeringandmath
areonlyforthemales.Thepinkaisletoysdontallowthegirlstoexploreoutsidesocietynorms.
YounggirlsshouldbeexposedtoSTEMrelatedactivitiesatayoungagetorecruitmorefemales
inthesefields.
Goldiebloxisatoycompanythatwantstogivegirlsaearlyinterestinengineering.The
toyincludesaboxseriesandaconstructiontoy.Thistoyincludesreadyastoryandbuilding
whatGoldiesaysto.TheCEOofthecompany,DerbieSterlingisamechanicalengineerand
understandstheshortageoffemalesinthescience,technology,engineeringandmathfields.She

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didnotknowwhatengineeringwasuntilhermathhighschoolteachertoldhershewouldbea
greatengineer.Shewenttocollegewithoutamajorbuthadwhatherteacherinherhead.She
decidedtotakeaengineeringclassandfellinloveit.Therewerentmanygirlsinherclasses.As
alittlegirl,shewasntexposedtotheSTEMfieldsbutshewantedtochangethatforthenew
generationofgirls.Shewantedtocreateaconstructiontoythatwouldbeconsideredasaboy
toysogirlswontbeafraidtoplaywith.Shewantedtodisruptthepinkaisle.Sterlingbelieves
thatlittlegirlsshouldalsobeinspiredtopursueacareerintheSTEMfield.Withhertoyshehas
createdlittlegirlswouldhavemoretoyoptionstoplaywithinsteadofthedolls,barbies,and
pinktoysthatmanystorescarry.Thetoygoldiebloxwasmadetodestroytheimagethatgirls
shouldnttakeinanypartofconstructiontoys.
Genderhasbeensociallyconstructedwhichleadpeopleviewingcareersasamasculine
andfemininejob.AaronDevorsarticle,BecomingMembersofSociety:theSocialMeanings
ofGenderinthe1989issueofComposingGenderexplainsthatsocietyshapeshowchildrensee
thegenderroles.Devorsupportshisargumentbydescribingthatwhenthechildrensoonturn
intoadults,theyseethemselvesfollowingthegenderrolestheyhavelearnedfromthepeople
aroundthem.ChildrenarebeingraisedwithgenderintheSTEMfields.Theyaretaughtbytheir
adultfiguresthattheSTEMfieldsaremoreofamasculinecareerandifafemalespursuesa
careerinthesefieldstheywouldbeseenlessfeminineandmoremasculine.Manyrolesmodels
childrenseeatschoolaremanymales.Theresnotmanyfemalerolemodelslittlegirlshaveto
lookuptowhilegrowingup.
IntheSTEMfieldsthatmalesoutnumberthefemales.Thechapterspresentevidence
regardingtheconsistentlylownumbersofwomenenrollinginSTEMfields,despitetherebeing

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nostatisticalevidencesuggestingadifferenceincapabilityinmathsandsciencesbetweenmen
andwomen(Ferguson235).Fergusonstatesthatthereisnoresearchthatshowsthatmales
havemoreintelligenceintheSTEMfieldsbutwomentendtostayawayfromthesefields.
Malesandfemalesaretreatedthesameintheeducationfieldbutthefemaleswouldbeplaced
underthemasculinesystem,whichcanhurtthefemalesfemininity(Ferguson236).Science,
technology,engineeringandmathareseenasmasculinecareertopursueandtheresnotmany
femalethatareraisedtogointothesefieldsordontshowinterestinthesefieldsbecausetheyre
afraidofbeingviewedlessfeminineandmoremasculine.Mostgirlsstarttoloseinterestinmath
andscienceatayoungage.Boysinmathclassestendtoreceivemoreteachertimeand
attentionthangirls(GirlsandMath1).Malesaregivenmoreattentionthanfemales,theyre
moreencouragedtogetahighereducation.Attheyoungage,girlsstartseeingthatmathand
scienceisamasculinefieldandareonlyformen.Teachersshouldgivethesameattentiontothe
girlsastheygivetotheboys.GirlsshouldbeexposedtotheSTEMfieldsmorethantheyare
exposedtothestereotypesthesocietyhascreated.TheSTEMfieldshavebeensocially
constructedasamasculinecareerandithasbeenthiswayformanyyears.Thecommunityhasa
hugeimpactonthefemalescareerchoice.Ifsocietyallowedgirlsatayoungtoexplorethe
STEMfieldsandnotonlydirectthemtothemorefemininejobs.Manyfemalesgointonursing,
secretaries,flightattendantsandhairdressersbecausethewesternculturehasmadethemamore
femininecareer.
SomepeoplemightsayevenexposingfemalestotheSTEMfieldswouldnotspark
interesttoyounggirls.Itstruethatnotallfemaleswouldjointhesefieldsbutweshouldstill
exposethemtothesecareers.Girlsshouldbeexposedtothesecareersbecausemalesgetmore

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attentioninmathandscienceandfemalesshouldbeabletoreceivethesameamountofattention
asthemalesbecausetheyshouldgetequalopportunitiesineducation.Thisrevealsthe
importanceofrolemodelsinattractingmoregirlsintothefieldofsciences.Thisissimilartoa
studybyBowman(2007)whofoundthatrolemodelsareveiyimportantforgirls,astheyhelp
shapetheircareeridentity.Ifgirlshavesignificantadultsintheirliveslikescientists,theymay
bebetterabletoimaginethemselvesinthatcareer.Alackofexposuretofemalescientistsand
engineersmayreinforcetheinformationgapforyoungwomen.Bowman,(2007:26)states,
'Probablybecausetheyarenotexposedtoalotofrolemodels,sotheydon'treallysee
themselvesinthatrole.Whentheyareexposedtofemalerolemodels,theystartthinkingabout
it.'Bowman(2007)notedthatasmuchassocietyhaschanged,therearestillpreconceptions
aboutwhatwomen'sworkisandwhatmen'sworkis.(Pinias,chikuvadze,SharonMVimbai
5293)WhengirlsarentexposedtofemalerolemodelsintheSTEMfields,theydontpicture
themselvesinthesefields.Lookinguptosomeonecanhelpmotivatethestudentstopursuea
careerinthesefields.FemalesshouldbeexposedtoSTEMfieldrelatedactivitiesatayoungage
tosparkaninterestinthesefields.
Inconclusion,femalesshouldbeexposedtoSTEMfieldsatayoungagetogetanearly
interest.TheSTEMfieldshavebeenmostlymadeupofmenbutforthepastyears,morewomen
arepursuinginthesecareers.Toysandeducationforgirlshavebeensociallyconstructedtofit
animageonwhatthefemalesshouldplaywithandwhattheyshouldlearn.Thetoycompany
Goldiebloxhasmadeatoythatwouldintroducelittlegirlsintoengineering,givingthematoy
thatsoutsidethenorm.Themalesgetmoreattentionfromtheirteachersthanfemales.Teacher
helpmalesmorethanthefemales.Inthewesternsociety,toysandeducationhasahugeimpact

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onthecareerschildrenchoosetopursue.Femalesshouldbeencouragedtopursuecareersin
science,technology,engineeringandmathfields.

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WorkCited

Devor,Aaron."BecomingMembersofSociety:TheSocialMeaningsofGender."
ComposingGender(2009):3545.Print.

Ferguson,BrierK.M."REMOVINGBARRIERS:WOMENINACADEMIC
SCIENCE,TECHNOLOGY,ENGINEERINGANDMATHEMATICS."CanadianWoman
Studies26.3(2008):2356.ProQuest.6Nov.2014.

"GirlsandMath:EnoughisKnownforAction."Women'sEducationalEquityAct
PublishingCenterDigest(1991):1.ProQuest.28Oct.2014.

Pinias,Chikuvadze,andMatswetuVimbaiSharon."GenderStereotypingandFemale
Pupils'PerceptionofStudyingAdvancedLevelSciences:ASurveyofOneProvincein
Zimbabwe."Gender&Behaviour11.1(2013):528596.ProQuest.6Nov.2014.