Women often need to change historical norms, which were designed with only men in mind.
Under-representation of women in STEM fields
Are women less well-equipped for success in science, technology, engineering and matematics (STEM)?
Academic gender gaps are not restricted to STEM, according to a representative of New York University at a Women at Work conference. Gender disparities can be observed also in such fields as philosophy or music theory ... nor are all STEM fields overwhelmingly male, biology being one example.
Gender imbalances: Necessity of genius
How is excellence defined in scientific fields? If it is about intellectual brilliance or genius (which means an innate and indefinable intellectual disposition), these attributes are closer to the masculine version of success. Instead, more emphasis needs to placed on diligent effort – and this applies also to company cultures.
According to an INSEAD survey, when the belief still persists that a special aptitude, which can’t be taught, is necessary for academic success, there are strong indications that women in the field will continue to be under-represented. The same applies also to another group in the US which is often stereotyped as not having the necessary genius for academic success: African-Americans. However, this does not hold true for Asian-Americans, who are stereotyped as being naturally intelligent.
The belief described above probably isn’t the sole source of diversity imbalances in academia; nevertheless, changing people's notions of what it takes to achieve success could be a very effective way to improve the situation. We need to place less emphasis on genius and more on effort.
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