In honor of International Women’s Day, toy maker Mattel celebrated the occasion by making “role model dolls” that are supposed to draw attention to women in the STEM fields. However, the company also suggested that “girls are systematically tracked away from STEM,” though the evidence seems to suggest otherwise.
The Wall Street Journal noted that though a common talking point of progressive feminists that there are not many women in the STEM fields, recent data suggests the opposite.
In the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest, evidence was presented that appears to suggest that women are doing well in the STEM fields. The evidence is based on data that has been gathered between 2000 and 2020, according to the report.
Researchers Stephen Ceci, Wendy Williams, and Shulamit Kahn wrote: “The literature on women in science, both scholarly and popular, portrays academic sexism today as an omnipresent, pervasive force in the daily lives of tenure-track women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.”
However, the research suggests that tenure-track women are on par with their male counterparts in grant funding, recommendation letters, and having their research accepted by journals, per the Journal. The report goes on to say that women have a strict advantage over men when it comes to hiring: “Women are less likely than men to apply for tenure-track jobs, but when they do apply, they receive offers at an equal or higher rate than men do.”
These details are never mentioned by the progressive left, which seems bent on demonizing white, heterosexual males at all costs, even when the data suggests the opposite of their views. The findings of the research do suggest that male scientists receive higher pay, but the “gender gaps in salary were much smaller than often claimed,” adding that the data is complicated in this region. It is also mentioned that “women and men are unevenly represented in fields that are remunerated the highest,” per the Journal.
A large reason for the small pay gap could be due to women leaving work after pregnancy, while many men do not take paternity leave. The research went on to suggest that another piece of the equation could be “due to women’s lower likelihood of negotiating higher salaries or their lower likelihood of pursuing more lucrative job offers.”
It is not true that women, across the board, make less money than men in the STEM fields. There are several factors that contribute to the small pay gap, many of which are rarely noted. This is likely due to the fact that claiming women are discriminated against in pay and achievement suits a grievance narrative. Since 1990, women have consistently been graduating from college at a higher rate than men, and there is no supporting evidence that suggests this will change any time soon.
