By Sara Casareto ’16

Women in the work and study fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) have noticeably been lacking in numbers compared to men. Technology education teacher Brendan Lees has noticed that the gender gap can even be seen at Sherwood.

“Engineering is still a field in STEM that, of all those in engineering fields, is probably only 25-percent women,” said Lees. “We get more boys signing up for the engineering classes than girls, and we are trying to work on that.”

The engineering teachers themselves are trying to close the gender gap at least at the classroom level, which may hopefully lead more women into the working world of STEM. “We talk about it in our classes,” said Lees. “We’re even trying to start maybe having field trips just for girls interested in engineering. There’s a lot more scholarship money that I see girls getting for college in regards to engineering, and there are more job offers right out of college.”

Some of these types of scholarships available are the Anne Maureen Whitney Barrow Memorial Scholarship (a $7,000 renewable scholarship) and the Northrop Grumman Corporation Scholarship (a $5,000 renewable scholarship). Many scholarships and other opportunities can be found through societies such as the Society of Women Engineers.

STEM offers a relatively stable job environment, especially out of college. There is a huge variety of careers an engineer can pursue, from mechanical to aerospace engineering. According to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, women in STEM jobs earn 33-percent more than those holding non-STEM jobs. They also generally experience a smaller wage gap relative to men.

Engineering is one of the top fields for women right now and many major companies are in support of the movement for closing the gender gap.

“Work is better when you have a mix of males and females,” said Lees. “Companies are more creative and have a better work environment.”