If Robots Looked Like Barbie...
From Irene Smalls
 Attracting 80% of girls and 99% of girls of color to STEM is not rocket science. Research shows girls and boys are equal in math and science ability. But, according to the 2012 100 Women Leaders in STEM report, only 1% of African-American and Latina women and 20% of White women earn bachelor degrees in engineering, computer science, and physics. Additionally, a 2013 Census report indicates the percentage of females in STEM careers is declining. Culture, not biology, perpetuates the low number of women in STEM. Let’s use culture to find solutions to this problem. Let’s analyze girls: 1. socialization patterns 2. market behavior and 3. feedback to develop female-friendly STEM education.
1. Girls are socialized to be nurturers
Generation STEM, a 2012 Girl Scouts study, concluded that girls are typically more interested in careers where they help others (e.g., teaching, child care, working with animals). Indeed, the 2008 National Academy of Engineering study "Changing the Conversation" suggests that many girls leave engineering because they don't realize engineering is a profession for social good. Researchers from Cornell University found “women proficient in math and science were more likely to go into STEM related careers like dentistry, medicine and veterinary medicine. More than half of new medical doctors and biologists are women -- and in veterinary medicine, women are more than 75% of new graduates.”
2. Girls show interest with Dollars and Time - Pretty Matters
Research from the University of Luxembourg published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology in 2011 discovered when science is presented in a female friendly way it catches girls’ interest. Case in point, the Lego Group reported Lego Friends, its new line of building sets aimed at girls - which includes a beauty parlor, a suburban house and a horse stable - became the company’s fourth-bestselling line in only its first year. Based on dollars spent in the “pink aisle,” if robots looked like Barbie dolls then more girls would play with them.
Indeed, “beauty” can be a prime directive in STEM serving as a gate-way to STEM. The University of Luxembourg researchers also found female topics such as cosmetic surgery encourage girls to study science. STEM can be girl friendly. In 2012, physicists found the math formula for the perfect ponytail. At a Boston Museum of Science workshop, girls made lipstick from raw chemicals. And, at the Hackatory in Philadelphia, girls re-purpose technological "junk" into jewelry.
For girls of color, beauty is a prime directive. In 2011, Black females spent half a trillion dollars on hair according to the website madamenoire.com. Latina women, compared to the overall market, spend 43% more on name brand haircare products according to a 2012 Nielsen report.
The cornrow hairstyle, popular among African-American and Latina girls and boys, uses four geometric concepts: translation, rotation, reflection and dilation. Software developed by Dr. Ron Eglash of RPI plot cornrow styles using the X and Y Cartesian coordinates http://csdt.rpi.edu/african/CORNROW_CURVES/index.htm.
HairMath is an informal STEM education program involving engineering, physics and chemistry. Its confidence building mantra is “girls have a head for math.” HairMath makeovers show girls “math makes them beautiful.” With HairMath’s hands-on programming, girls work collaboratively with a STEM professional, a hairstylist and a math/science teacher on hair related STEM projects.
3. Girls are Social
Girls are not boys with dresses on. A 2008 University of Texas study concluded ”social factors mean more for girls than for boys. More than boys, girls look to their friends when they make important decisions, like what courses to take.” Generation STEM indicates “many girls prefer working in groups and collaborating with others to solve problems.” Keeping in mind the fact that 20% of girls are gender atypical, research shows competition turns most girls off. Competition can induce math/science stereotype anxiety. Generation STEM also found nearly half of all girls say, “they would feel uncomfortable being the only girl in a group or a class.”
Finally, in the words of Ryan Collay, Director of The Science & Math Investigative Learning Experiences Program at Oregon State University or SMILE, “You can't program someone to choose computer sciences if they make the wise choice that they don't like the work or the community. Maybe part of the problem is not in the young women making choices—it's in our ignoring the feedback they share about what they see.”
Irene Smalls has an MBA in Behavioral Science. She is the creator of HairMath www.hairmath.com and a licensed hairstylist. Smalls is also a writer and Executive Director of the Power in Play non-profit.
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