Happy Friday and welcome to my blog! Today I will be discussing…. drumroll please. RESEARCH! Exhilarating I know. This research actually fascinates me however. Being a science major myself, the concept of research can be daunting and boring at times, but this project has been so refreshing for me. It has been a wonderful chance for me to dive into research that I am really passionate about, allowing me to become more well-versed on this subject. I have been researching about women. Complex creatures, I know.
I was going through some secondary research articles and found a lot of interesting information related to women and their underrepresentation in certain fields and why that is, as well as the negative effects it can have on women. What I found so refreshing through my primary research, was the amount of positive feedback I received from the women I interviewed. They all looked at their situations (being in male dominated environments) as something that has empowered them and challenged them to grow. It was so encouraging to hear such great feedback from these women about the strength that they feel in their respective fields.
It was interesting how the interviews differed however. One women discussed being a female athlete in a male dominated sport and how that is pushed her to be her best. She spoke of the experience very highly, saying it made her stronger and she owes a lot of who she is to her sport, her coaches, and her teammates. However, the woman I interviewed in STEM said that although she loves her field, it has caused insecurities for her at times. In school many women are in the STEM education system, but in the workplace there is very little female representation. This can be daunting as we are approaching these careers as women. We ask ourselves if men are more desired in these fields or if they are seen as more capable. It can make women frustrated I think, and even make some second-guess their abilities. I think in the long run it makes women tough, to overcome the doubt that they are faced with from outside sources.
I think from my research I have noticed that it is interesting that sometimes when a woman in a male-dominated field is successful, the first thing that is mentioned about her is that she is a woman. As if that fact is more noteworthy than her successes and accomplishments in her field. This is something that I would like to find more information on in my other interviews or in further research. I am curious if other women feel this way, that their success is maybe put in the shadow of their gender. I found a lot of similarities in my research. It reminded me that women are so dope, they are strong and have faced adversity in so many ways. It was an honor to conduct the interviews that I did and I look forward to piecing together my project.
See you.
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