Dutra, Prasha. “Why do so many women leave their careers in STEM?” | TEDxWilsonPark | TEDx Talks, YouTube 21 October 2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA08vfoZAJY

Prasha Dutra a TEDx speaker and award-winning podcaster advocates for gender equality in STEM. She uses her platform to bring awareness to the dire need for gender diversity in STEM while not just simply highlighting the lack of diversity but providing long last solution that could solve the gender gap in STEM in years to come. In her speech “Why do so many women leave their career in STEM?” Dutra opens with the question “How do we get more girls in STEM?” she then states, “IF you search girls in STEM on Google, you’ll get 450 million hits, and this clearly shows our obsession with getting more girls in STEM.” It is a well-known fact that White, Asian, and Indian males dominate STEM. Dutra states “Currently, only 28 percent of women contribute to the workforce in the U.S.” So, getting more girls in STEM would be a fast and efficient way to diversify the workforce in terms of gender. One would think that this is a definite way to bridge the gender gap that has been widening over the years in STEM. However, the dire for more women in STEM is at an all-time high since more women are leaving their STEM careers after Five years. Dutra describes the gender diversity in the STEM workforce as a “leaking bucket” since “forty% of women are leaving STEM jobs in just five years of starting.” So now getting more girls into STEM is not our only problem. We now must figure out what is causing the few women we have in STEM careers to leave just after five years of starting. Also, how do we prevent the women who already have STEM careers from leaving? Representation does not always have to come from outside the home or one’s community. Having supportive people around you can influence one’s ability to look at their future self and decide what is possible from their perspective. Dutra states “If us women want to succeed in STEM the secret is to find relatable role models.” It is one thing to strive for the best but setting unachievable goals with little time to achieve set goals only sets you up for failure. Moreover, Dutra shared her personal experience while working as a Mechanical Engineer for a manufacturing company. After working three to four years in her STEM career she felt lost as though she had accomplished as there was to accomplish for a female in STEM. Much like many other females in STEM, Dutra saw no future for herself due to lack of proper representation. Dutra shares one of the reasons she decided to continue her STEM career. She states “By diversifying the pool of role models for myself, I was able to find a solid reason to stay in STEM… If us women want to succeed in STEM, we also need to look at the 28% of women who have stayed in these professions, understand why they have stayed and how they define success.” Finding someone to who you can relate on a personal and professional level is the best way to choose a role model. She ended her speech with a message to her audience on how to choose perfect role models in STEM. Dutra states, “All you need to do is qualify potential role models and people in your existing circles based on three simple criteria.” Step one “Connect with women who are just two or three steps ahead of you” She then states, “One of the biggest mistakes people make while looking for role models is that they directly look up to the CEOs and it can feel unrelatable and overwhelming.” Observing the journeys of women in STEM who are just a few steps ahead of you will help you find the motivation that will keep you in your STEM career and give you a sense of belonging in your career. Step two is “Search for the struggles. This is where the magic happens people who share the same struggles as us can really show us what is possible beyond those struggles and they can give us real insight on how to overcome them.” A common struggle for women in STEM is how to navigate the STEM Field. Sharing struggles is a hands-on way to motivate women in STEM who are currently facing the same problems as it gives them some insight on how to overcome said struggles despite their personal and educational achievements. By sharing common struggles women in STEM can not only face but overcome adversity.  Step three “Focus on the details. What kills the search for a perfect role model is trying to find someone in your profession or your industry. The real trick is to break those roles and look beyond, look for the commonalities creatively. It is all in the details but what matters is what detail you focus on.” An important part of finding a suitable role model is to find someone who you connect with not only on a professional level but also on a personal level. Finding someone to connect with outside of work who shares your interest creates a special bond that could help you stay motivated and driven. Dutra’s steps on how to choose a perfect role model will not only influence young girls to pursue a career in STEM but also serve as motivation to the women who are currently in STEM careers to continue to pursue their intended careers while climbing the ladder of success. This leads to a more gender-diverse workforce in STEM.

Prior to my research, I know that there was an impending need for gender diversity in STEM which my simple solution was to get more girls interested in STEM but seeing that 40% of women are leaving their STEM careers just after five years, requires a completely new solution. So, getting more girls in STEM while the few women we currently have in STEM careers are leaving widens the gender gap in STEM even more hence Dutra’s “leaking bucket” analogy. Now we must not only figure out the declining cause of women leaving their STEM careers but how to solve said problem. I strongly agree with Dutra’s ideas on how to prevent women in STEM from leaving their jobs. Dutra’s solution is to find suitable role models, she states, “If us women want to succeed in STEM the secret is to find relatable role models.” Most often when finding role models, we immediately look up to the boss which can be very overwhelming and depressing since as humans our innate instinct is to be the best and this is done by comparing ourselves to others. As we compare ourselves to those who are greatly ahead of us does not only make our accomplishments seem inferior but also leads to self-doubts. Do not get me wrong, looking up to someone who is a CEO urges us to work hard and strive for the best but when faced with struggles that keep knocking you down, seeing others succeed while you are not can be unmotivating. Finding the perfect role model does not always require a professional relationship but it does need a personal one. Where you can share your doubts, struggles, hopes, and dreams in a safe space with someone who is just a few steps ahead of you. Connecting with someone who is just a few steps ahead of you is a good way to find motivation since they are more likely to be struggling with the same thing you are or just overcome the thing you are currently struggling with. Lastly, as more women continue to find inspiration within and outside of their profession, they are more inclined to continue to pursue their careers while moving up the success ladder.

Dutra’s speech was extremely relatable yet insightful. For her video to be under 10 minutes and yet so informative is impressive. The points made throughout her Ted Talk were very clear and well-articulated.  During her speech, she used relevant statistics and data to directly show her audience the dire need for gender diversity in STEM. Sharing various personal stories and struggles that she faced made her speech extremely relatable which builds a personal connection between Dutra and her intended audience. She did not merely state the struggles she faced but she provides strong solutions to said problems which could possibly serve as motivation to women who are currently going through something similar. However, in my opinion, Dutra herself and the information expressed in her speech is credible since she is an award-winning podcaster whose work is well known, and the information, she provided in her is easily backed by Google or a simple internet search. The purpose of Dutra’s speech is to not only shine light on the impending need for gender diversity in STEM but also to promote the effect of having suitable role models as it would lead to more women staying in their STEM careers.

 

“Find people who can show us no dream is too big but in a more relatable way, who can tell us that STEM does not define us, but we define STEM.”

“By diversifying the pool of role models for myself, I was able to find a solid reason to stay in STEM… If us women want to succeed in STEM, we also need to look at the 28% of women who have stayed in these professions, understand why they have stayed and how they define success.”

“One of the biggest mistakes people make while looking for role models is that they directly look up to the CEOs and it can feel unrelatable and overwhelming.”