Women and engineering

Abstract

It is necessary to reflect on the existing concern as to why women prefer careers in Health, Social Sciences or Law to STEM careers, an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. There are several questions that we must ask ourselves in order to understand the reasons why women prefer these careers to STEM careers, among them, the cultural question; on the other hand, there are the stereotypes established from birth, the role played by the family environment in the support they can find, the role played by educational centers. It is essential that from the institutes the guidance counselors and teachers support girls to study those disciplines; another issue is the lack of female references and the visibility given to women scientists, as well as their recognition, even the existing labor discrimination against men, or the low possibility of reconciling work and personal life in the industrial environment.  Therefore, it is essential to motivate teenage girls by promoting STEM vocations and for this it is necessary to establish policies aimed at promoting such vocations, disseminating and making known women scientists, mathematicians, engineers or architects.