Though pockets of misogynistic beliefs and ideals still exist on mostly individual levels today, it’s hard to believe that these beliefs once ran rampant across the United States and in many parts of the world. For generations and generations, it was believed that women were best suited for traditional gender roles such as taking care of a home, cooking, cleaning, sewing, entertaining, and raising children — all of which required an extraordinary amount of skill but credit was rarely given for these important tasks. In general, women were expected to take on a more a submissive role in the household. Men on the other hand, were charged with providing for the family, handling the finance, working on the car, and doing yard work.
Oh how times have changed!
Women became an integral part of the American force during the first and second world wars, when thousands of American men were shipped overseas to fight. Women began working in factories and performing many of the same jobs that men did, proving that women were strong enough, smart enough, and capable enough to do the same work as men, regardless of how complex it appeared to be. Rosie the Riveter became a feminist icon of this era, symbolizing the can-do and patriotic mentality women working in factories adopted. After the war ended, women were unfortunately expected to return home and go back to their traditional gender roles, but this did little to nothing to change the new found inspiration many women experienced.
Fast forward to today, and women make up a large part of the American workforce. The idea of a man staying at home to raise the kids and tend to the home while the woman goes out and earns a living is no longer shocking — it’s just apart of the new normal society has begun to accept. Despite the fact that so many women are now apart of the American workforce, it’s still fairly uncommon to see women working in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or math, otherwise known as STEM. While there have been several notable female scientists, engineers, and mathematicians who have made tremendous waves in the STEM community, the idea of woman working in this field is still fairly “fresh”.
Women who work in these fields get an amazing opportunity to experience and learn about the latest advances in technology, such as prototype pcbs and prototype pcb assembly, prototype pcb manufacturing, and more about prototype circuit boards (PCB). Since circuit board are such a major aspect of everyday modern life, it should as no surprise that women working in STEM have to get well acquainted with prototype pcb assembly. Although it may sound confusing or fairly uninteresting to someone — man or woman — who does not work in STEM, prototype pcb assembly can actually be quite interesting!
But for as many women that work in a STEM related field, there are still challenges that they can face. Outside of the fun and interesting work of prototype pcb assembly and rocket science for example, a woman working in STEM may even feel a bit isolated or have difficulty relating to their male coworkers. Luckily, there are a variety of professional networking and support groups for women working in step that can not only create a sense of community, but are also great for establishing personal and professional contacts within the industry.
Women entering into a STEM field may also benefit from having a mentor in college. Though many colleges already offer formal mentoring programs to help women in STEM, women whose colleges don’t offer such a valuable program should seek a mentor out for themselves. Having a mentor is a great way to learn more about the industry and more about life working in STEM. A mentor can be a powerful resource in terms of defining a career path.
And last but not least, women working in STEM should remember to be confidant and assertive, both of which are necessary for the field. In a male dominated environment, it can be difficult for women to feel comfortable voicing their opinions.
