When I look back at my STEM journey, I see a path filled with both privilege and challenges.
I was fortunate. My parents, both educators, encouraged me and my sister to tinker, build, and explore. They gave us old electronics to take apart, nurturing our curiosity from an early age. But not every girl has that opportunity. Too often, young women are discouraged — implicitly or overtly — from pursuing STEM fields.
The numbers reflect this, as women make up only 29% of the global tech workforce. This gender gap has persisted for decades, despite cultural shifts and corporate initiatives to bring more women into the field. What’s more, those who do carve a way into STEM fields may find that the challenges multiply once they’re hired.
A recent Logitech report on tech gender equality, surveying women across China, India, and the U.S., paints a stark picture. More than 80% of women in tech experience microaggressions at work. These might take the form of interruptions in meetings, ideas dismissed until repeated by a male colleague, or enduring sexist jokes. Some incidents are subtle, others blatant, but all create an environment where women feel undervalued.
In fact, one in four women say that microaggressions have made them consider leaving their profession entirely. These sorts of experiences have affected my own career, although I was able to push through them with the support of people close to me. When an industry is already struggling with gender diversity, the risk of losing a quarter of the female talent pool due to unaddressed workplace culture issues is a huge problem — one that can be avoided through male allyship and company-wide awareness programs that foster more inclusive environments.
Microaggressions are not the only problem. More than 85% of women in the report felt isolated at some point, whether during their education, in their professional lives, or both. I’ve felt this myself. When I studied mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley, I often found myself one of the few women, and even fewer women of color, in the room. In my experience, the feeling of being an outsider actively discourages participation.
Despite the challenges, I think there is plenty of reason for optimism. In the U.S., 90% of the survey respondents said they would recommend the field to other women. That means even with these obstacles, passion is a driver that encourages women to pursue tech careers and recognize the value and potential these fields offer.
I want to live in a world where the 29% statistic is a relic, a world where girls don’t have to wonder if they belong in STEM — because they already know they do.
