With this thread growing, I really wanted to share my point of view. Most of you know my opinion about all female events and mass medias obsession with women in STEM, but I thought I'd share it here.
I think there is a HUGE difference in regards to getting women involved in STEM, with showing them they are capable and striving to teach women spacial reasoning skills at a young age (we get dolls, boys get legos) which is why I love Debbie Sterling and her Goldiebloks program. FLL also strives to do the same. Getting ANYONE into STEM at a young age is the key. Showing little girls they are capable of the same skills is key.
I'd also like to point out how difficult it is to be a woman in STEM when STEM jobs and FRC have this strong male culture behind them. I am constantly told I shouldn't be doing this, that I'm in a man's field, and that I chose the wrong path. You know what sucks? When people see that you're a woman at an engineering company or team and assume you're not an engineer, assume you're doing media or outreach. Assuming you don't belong before speaking to you. And with all of that we also have to deal with CONSTANT harassment from our male colleagues, adults, and volunteers. We have to deal with people constantly hitting on us, making sexual advances, and blatant bullying because we're doing what makes us happy. No wonder so many women walk away from the STEM world after dealing with all of that.
But a lot of media just wants women to feel special without understanding the push for girls in STEM, and when you treat a woman special and superior for going through all we have to, people feel like they can underestimate us. How is someone not supposed to think I know less if I could get in with less? How are people supposed to think I am worth the same when I was worth different going into college?? I'm sure many women in FIRST can agree with me when I say, I want to earn things based on merit and not based on my anatomy. As for FIRST, at an educational POV, getting more women involved is great, I didn't know I wanted to be an engineer until FRC and was told I couldn't do it throughout the journey. But treating all women teams or teams with higher amounts of women as these "breakthroughs" make other teams who are majority male based on region seem like they don't matter. Some teams who are all female and perform less will constantly get coverage. So in an effort for media to not be sexist, they are sexist.
Theres a great
silicon valley clip that sums up my feelings.
As this event itself, I see nothing wrong with encouraging women they can do something they've been told from a young age they can't. The same types of events are present in female dominated fields for men.
I think the key here is this event is showing women they are capable and that they have a role in our STEM world. I don't think this event at all is making it seem like as women we are better or superior. These are real issues a woman has to face everyday, I know I have to.
I'm super excited to see another event showing women they can do something they've been told they shouldn't!