Women’s role in STEM and Space industry
Nowadays, almost only women living in developed countries can get the profession they want. But now the jobs available to women living in developing or underdeveloped countries are limited. I want to study aerospace engineering, and I am currently studying hard and working hard. Because many people in my country believe that there is no place for girls and women in the space industry. But I want to prove it wrong and after studying at the University of Bologna in Italy. I want to get a job and start a free education center for space-obsessed girls living in my country. And now I am going to talk about women role in space industry and STEM.
However, the place and status of women in the fields of natural sciences, mathematics, engineering, technology, industry and construction is much lower not only in Uzbekistan but also in the whole world. Therefore, in the history of the Nobel Prize, the number of women who received this prize in the field of science is 3%. Women should realize that there is a suitable place for them in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and they have the right to participate in the processes of scientific development. However, for the time being, male dominance in the field of science is common throughout the world, especially in industrialized countries. In particular, 23.2% of technical university graduates in Australia, 19.7% in Canada, 26.1% in France, 14% in Japan, 20.1% in the Republic of Korea, and 20.4% in the USA are women.
According to the new report of UNESCO on science, women make up 25% of graduates of technical faculties and 40% of graduates of faculties of computer and informatics in the world. Although women work in technology-related fields, they face serious barriers to moving up the career ladder. For example, someone takes leave because they are pregnant, and someone else suffers from unfair treatment by management.
Engineering is the most male-dominated fields in STEM. It may perhaps be most male-dominated profession in the USA, with women making up only 13% of the engineering workforce. For decades, to attract mlre women to the field, engineering educators have focused on curriculum reform. While these efforts have brought in more women to study engineering, the problem is that many quit during and after school. Focusing solely on education does not address the fact that women tend to leave the profession at a higher rate than men. Women make up 20% of engineering graduates, but it is been estimated that nearly 40% of women who earn engineering degrees either quit or never enter the profession. Clearly, some elementary and high school reforms are working, but those at the college level are not. So, why do women who study engineering leave to pursue careers i other fields? Professors explored how the culture within engineering tha shared values, beliefs, and norms might contribute to the under-representation of women in the profession. Women and men had similar reasons for enrolling in engineering. They describe being good at math and science in high school and wanting interesting, well-paid professional opportunies in the future. However, women, more than men, add that they want to become socially responsible engineers, working to solve major problems and making a difference in people’s live — which is consistent with other research showing that women are significantly more likely than their male counterparts to be interested in engineering work that is “socially concious”. Each profession introduce students to its distinct culture, skills, language, practices, and values. Further, many women discover in their internships that be engineering proffesion is not as open to being socially responsiple or dedicated to tackling pressing national and global problems as they had hoped. This is a result of the assignments they are given, the values that are supported, and the mesagges that are communicated to them. The number of women and men are nearly equal in law, medicine, and the number of women in basic sciences is growing annually. With such a low proportion of female engineers nationally, educators amd businesses need to pay more attentionto how an occupation founded on a commitment to complex problem solving so consistenly fails to repair its well-documented gender problem. Efforts focused only changing the curriculum are insufficient because they simple reproduce the norms and practices of the profession.
You could be forgiven for assuming that the space industry is almost entirely male dominated because in the very early days of space expoloration, that was mostly true. However, as early as 1963, Russian cosmonaunt Valentina Tereshkova became the first of many women in space as part of the Vostok 6 mission. Exactly two decades later, in 1983, Sally Ride flew aboard the Space Shuttle STS-7, becoming the first American female in space. In fact, women have been very active in space missions since the turn of the century with a tatal of 65 women having flown in space. Women’s contribution to space exploration extends far beyond female astronaunts, with female engineers and scientist playing crucial ground-based roles throughout the history of space technology. Women have flown and worken in outer space since almost the beginning of human spaceflight. A considerable number of women from a range of countries have worked in space, though overall women are still significantly less often chosen to go to space than men and by June, 2020 constitute only 12% of all astronauts who have been to space. Yet, the proportion of women among space travelers in increasing substantially over time. But Women face many of the same physical and psychological difficulties of spaceflight as men. Scientific studies generally show no particular adverse effect from short space missions. It has even suggested by some that women might be better suited for longer space missions. Studies have continually indicated that the main obstacle for women to go to space remains gender discrimination.
More and more women from STEM backgrounds are choosing to pursue a career in space technology and this is a very promising trend. However, more work is needed before there is true gender equality in this field. Female engineers and scientist have been at the forefront of space technology since its inception, and it is hoped that their achievements will inspire future generations of women to follow their footsteps.
Full name: Murodova Mohinur Ilhom kizi
School: 5th school of Fergana city
Email: MurodovaMohinur@mail.ru