“We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.”
— Malala Yousafzai

Even in 2022, there is a noticeable difference between the number of men and women in certain professions. Today, women make up only 28 percent of the US workforce in science, technology, engineering, and math. What has caused this gender divide? Many believe that this issue stems from girls’ early experiences with these subjects. From a young age, girls are unlikely to see themselves represented in male-dominated fields—such as science and math—both in the media and in the real world. In the past, many schools systemically discouraged girls’ involvement in these fields as some believed that girls were not suited for STEM subjects. This lack of representation and encouragement during their formative years discourages girls from pursuing these subjects as they get older. Therefore, to eradicate this problem, we must start supporting girls from the place they first get involved in these subjects: school. 

All the way from elementary to high school, Singapore American School encourages girls to pursue fields that are typically male-dominated. This has resulted in a nearly one-to-one ratio of boys to girls enrolled in math courses at SAS. Eleventh grade student Angelina Sidarto comments, “Since everyone learns math in elementary school, we’re all given an equal opportunity early on. Even now in my AP Calculus class, there are plenty of girls.” 

Besides encouraging female enrollment in historically male-dominated courses from a young age, SAS is also fortunate to have a strong community of students and educators who support girls in STEM subjects. Twelfth grade student, and soon to be engineering major, Ananya Shah, explains that when she first started high school, she hadn’t yet developed a passion for STEM subjects. On a whim, she enrolled in Introduction to Robotics in ninth grade, unsure of her capabilities and concerned there would be no other girls in her class. However, on the first day, she was thrilled to see a group of girls who were confident about their capabilities in robotics, even though they knew it was a male-dominated field. She was also immediately inspired by her teacher’s enthusiasm for gender diversity in STEM fields. Shah states, “Observing their passion and activism for women in STEM truly inspired me to keep going despite the challenges I faced, and thanks to them, I am now an advocate for girls in STEM through robotics and the SAS club Geek Girls.” Ultimately, the large community of nurturing educators and students at SAS has created a stimulating environment where girls’ passions and intellectual curiosity are celebrated. 

The underrepresentation of women in STEM and business classes has negative consequences that extend beyond the classroom. For example, since fewer women internationally are enrolled in science courses, only 36 percent of doctors in the US are female. Moreover, since fewer girls internationally are enrolled in economics, the world has fewer female economists, resulting in economic policy decisions that may benefit men and women unequally. Shane Fitts, an AP Economics teacher, explains, “If all of the people involved in making economic policies are men, their perspective will be more one-sided and they might forget some voices.” This is why the work SAS is doing to improve gender diversity is so vital. By empowering women to pursue subjects that are traditionally dominated by men, SAS is contributing to a more diverse, equitable future—one student at a time.