The leaky stem pipeline

I am all too familiar with the concept known as 'the leaky STEM pipeline' from my PhD and also from my own experience at school. I have seen girls drop off bit by bit away from the technology side of things into other areas and I know, I have also been tempted myself - see post on technology and teaching technology - my passion below. I have been in school and the girls had a low uptake of subjects like Physics. I have even gone into visit an all girl's school where they didn't even offer Physics as a subject. It is mandatory for all to take a science subject and they would take Biology, few would take Chemistry and not a lot would take Physics. I even took Biology over Physics and I knew that I was taking computers in college! My first year I had to get revision books of Physics as I hadn't looked at it for two years previously so I could catch up quickly. I did thankfully but they covered a two year course in six weeks to get everyone at the same level and out of 88 students taking that course 11 passed the first time.

The course was renowned as one of the 'sorting the men from the boys' to make sure they knew what they were signing up to in Information Technology with the highest failure rate on campus. It was tough, it was challenging but I still enjoyed it. It wasn't the same as going to school with girls. It was a culture shock and the competitiveness was rife. I am so grateful I lived with girls to keep me encouraged and my head straight as I would have internalised a lot of their insults otherwise and I was having too much fun. I even did my final year project in Linux so that I could be in a different room for some peace and quiet from our fourth year computer laboratory and I was delighted. :-D So... in essence, I agree 100% with the video below and I have lived it... every part of her descriptions of what happens!   

If we are  socialised to be brave instead of socialised to be perfect  - men and women approach problems differently. This video below validated almost every single part of me trying to explain to the men that I have a different way to problem-solve. The girls fear of not getting it right. This is simple - this is, in essence, the growth versus fixed mindset. I have seen with my own eyes some of the things that have happened at University while studying. She gives an example of approaching a lecturer stating that there is something wrong with my code and a female approaches and says - there is something wrong with me. I have seen this, I have lived this and I have been there! I believe environment matters and girls tend to be socialised to internalise that something is wrong with them as opposed to objectifying the issue - which is difficult to do if all you hear all day is that you need to read a book or start again you don't know what you're doing - these comments were again on the Facebook groups answers to people asking questions as new members of the Java Programmers group. 

PERFECTION OR BUST! We have learned perseverance and we need to socialise the girls to be brave and be comfortable with imperfection.