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Christian Wheeler
Enrique Solis
English 115
November 6, 2015
Women in STEM
Forced under and unseen wheel, women have been placed as the frictional gravel
pushing and allowing misogyny to grow and drive at their own expense. Historically
common for women to be uncommon within our nations STEM fields, heterosexuality
and traditional marriage have been primary sources for the origin of both undocumented
and reported sexism.
Statistically obvious, women have somehow been pushed away from our
countrys STEM programs, with a decline in the rate at which they, as a gender, have
taken arms within these fields. The number of American women who earned science and
engineering degrees increased steadily from the 1960s to the early 1980s, then
unexpectedly reached a plateau. It is still far below the number of menonly one fourth
of all physics teachers are women (Brush, 404). Ironically as the demand for engineers
rose in this new era, women have somehow been led astray from these departments;
regardless how viable and necessary they are, like their counterparts, to all STEM
programs. While we may seem lost as to why women abandon and withdraw from these
high paying jobs, Stanfords Encyclopedia of Philosophy states the Principle of Sufficient
Reason: simply, everything must have reason or cause (Melamed, 2015). During college
and graduate school, according to many reports, women students who are apparently well
qualified and strongly motivated lose their self-esteem, are harassed by male professors

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and students, are excluded from crucial discussions and social interactions, and in general
are made to feel that they do not belong (Brush, 404). Pushing women out of these fields
like a shuffleboard stick, mens aggravating force of sexism and inherent desire for
dominance cripples our cognitive advancement within STEM as well as immobilizes the
intellectual potential and self-esteem of women all around. But these practices within
their college and graduate school are not the true origin of this partition between men and
women as intellectual and prospective equals.
For the epoch, of the source of this rupturing concept, we must look to when male
and female first become their distinct counterparts: puberty. It is at puberty that the full
force of societys pressure to conform to heterosexuality and prepare for marriage is
bought to bear. Children know what we have taught them, and we given clear messages
that those who deviate from standard expectations are to be made to get back in line
(Pharr, 16). Puberty not only brings a swelling wave of biological confusion through
altering hormones, but also finds a friend in societal conformity; through the given option
of heterosexuality as a sanctuary of love, pushed by their hormonal desire to be wanted,
both adolescent boys and girls are herded into conformity. The best controlling tactic at
puberty is to be treated as an outsider to be ostracized at a time when it feels most vital to
be accepted. Those who are different must be made to suffer loss. It is also at puberty
that misogyny begins to be more apparent, and girls are pressured to conform to societal
norms that do not permit them to realize their full potential. It is at this time that their
academic achievements begin to decrease as they are coerced into compulsory
heterosexuality and trained for dependency upon a man, that is, for economic survival
(Pharr, 16). This compulsory heterosexuality helps no one. Forcing boys to show

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absolute dominance in ability to supply economically and girls to show absolute
compliance in ability to supply sexually; two distinct genders again herded in conformity,
but all the while, one pressured to be greater and the other to listen. In no way can the
influence of mandatory heterosexuality be positive, whether or not its used to promote
reproduction or to promote personal beliefs, when it sidelines the minds of our youth. A
simple solution to this paradox of growing into a happy adult through assignedheterosexuality could be to reject the notion of heterosexuality as common & necessary.
Through an allowance to love and live in any and all ways, through a lack of pressured
de-facto laws of heterosexuality and traditional marriage, may we find peace from the
fear of contempt? All the while this tactic can serve as a foundation for the reparation of
gender equality, it is not the only factor feeding the differential between men and women.
Originating from those pubescent boundaries, we continue to create differences
between each other through a tactic we can generalize as labeling, or in other words:
stereotyping. But it is not those differences between us that are separating us. It is rather
our refusal to recognize those differences, and to examine the distortions which results
from our misnaming them and their effects upon human behavior and expectation
(Lorde, 114). Indefinitely separated from our brothers and sisters, blinded by hate-tinted
lenses, females, males, and other hide behind our pink, blue, and purple veils
respectively. Measures of stereotypes are often difficult to distinguish from measures of
gender role attitudes. As Brannon ( 1981) pointed out, people often assume that"
'stereotypes are what you get when groups are rated with an adjective check-list' [and]
data obtained with Likert items is usually referred to as 'attitudes'" (p. 621). Obviously
this method of differentiating measures of stereotypes and measures of attitudes is not

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very sophisticated nor does it rest on any theoretical underpinnings (Beere, 221). Beere
argues that continuing to biologically split our species by generalizing and stereotyping
each other directly feeds our gender roles with indirect notice. Perhaps definitions of
"stereotypes" and "attitudes" can help us to differentiate measures of stereotypes from
measures of gender role attitudes. Stereotypes are defined as "perceptions of persons,
objects, activities, or concepts that are based on relatively rigid, oversimplified, and overgeneralized beliefs or assumptions regarding the characteristics of males and females"
(Beere, 1979, p. 164). An attitude is defined as "a set of affective reactions toward the
attitude object, derived from the concepts or beliefs that the individual has concerning the
object, and predisposing the individual to behave in a certain manner toward the attitude
object" (Shaw & Wright, 1967, p. 13). Clearly stereotypes and attitudes are inextricably
interwoven. Stereotypes affect attitudes, and attitudes affect stereotypes (Beere, 221).
On top of her previous argument, one can imply Beere also hints at a solution to avoid
our imposed gender roles: through fixing our stereotypes. I agree with Beeeres argument
and offer a solution of positive solidarity between stereotypes and attitudes towards men,
women, and other. If we can avoid the nonsensical stereotyping of other genders, Beeres
studies show that we can also avoid the social consequences that come with nonsensical
attitudes of those genders. Maxine Zinn states an observation that women are
subordinated by patriarchy, yet their relatively privileged positions within hierarchies of
race, class, and the global political economy intersect to create for them an expanded
range of opportunities, choices, and ways of living (Zinn, 6). I agree with her
observation and argue that degrading the power of the male is necessary in order to
restore the strength and domain of the female. Although henceforth I would lose power in

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our current matrix of domination, I know that true equality would advance us socially and
as a species.
To avoid further gender abuse we must look to avoid further expectation through
roles. When placed within boundaries of expectation, such as heterosexuality and
traditional marriage, we end up crippled as whole. If we can allow each other to grow
and live freely without imposing traditionally personal beliefs, then we can transcend to a
higher people. I await the day when I can walk into my Engineering courses and see a
happy, equal proportion of men and women otherwise Ill be stuck to converse with
these smelly, unfashionable guys forever.

(Respectively, the use of other as a gender is not meant to imply a gender upon, but
rather just another option.)

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Annotated Bibliography
Beere, Carole A. Gender Roles: A Handbook of Tests and Measures. New York:
Greenwood, 1990. Print.
This book offers the different measures of attitudes towards men and
women. Relevance can be found when considering the reported discrimination
that women face in the STEM program, thus making this book a helpful tool to
determine/explain that discrimination.
Brush, Stephen G. "Women in Science and Engineering." Women in Science and
Engineering 79.5 (1991): 404-19. JSTOR. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/29774475?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents>.
This journal brings its relevance through statistical analysis of the lack
women in the sciences and engineering, their unsure and/or negative attitude to
the subjects once dropped as their degree Major, and reported discrimination in
the educational, professional and social aspects of STEM.
Lorde, Audre. "Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference." <i>Sister
Outsider: Essays and Speeches</i>. Trumansburg, NY: Crossing, 1984. 114-23.
Print.
This speech in Lordes book of essays and speeches brings a view outside
of the cave of misogamy and helps give reason for an alternate to sexism.
Melamed, Yitzhak and Lin, Martin, "Principle of Sufficient Reason", The Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =
<http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2015/entries/sufficient-reason/>

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This resource is used to comply further induction on a situation of
statistics - philosophical motivation.
Pharr, Suzanne. Homophobia: A Weapon of Sexism. Inverness, CA: Chardon, 1988. Print.
This article provides the useful argument about how children are raised
into mysogony and general sexism. This provides
Zinn, Maxine Baca, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, and Michael A. Messner. Gender
through the Prism of Difference. New York: Oxford UP, 2005. Print.
This book offers insight on the implemented differences between men,
women, other, and their relations with their everyday lives. This source supports
my other sources in its affirmation of the different obstacles women must face in
order to succeed, as opposed to those that men must face.

Is this how were supposed to prove that weve used WriteLab?

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