Rupal Thanawala: Schools need to encourage girls to pursue STEM fields

Over the last few decades, we’ve made progress to increase the number of women who pursue STEM degrees and careers—both nationally and in Indiana—but we’re still far behind where we need to be. Only 10% of women who graduated from Indiana’s public postsecondary institutions in 2020 earned STEM degrees, compared with 31% of men.

Yet STEM jobs are projected to grow at twice the rate of jobs across industries in the current decade. Because of the demand for these skills, median wages are higher in these jobs. To be economically competitive and provide all Hoosiers with high-paying career opportunities, we need to build a diverse pipeline of local talent in fields such as technology, health care, engineering and science.

We can start by getting more women, especially women of color, into STEM fields. This requires elevating examples of success for young women and providing opportunities for them to discover the joy of math and science from an early age.

Part of the solution lies in schools like the Girls IN STEM Academy, a high-quality, all-girls public school that will open in Indianapolis in the 2024-2025 academic year. It will eventually serve girls in grades K-8, with K-6 to start.

The school will focus on enrolling young women from underrepresented communities—including those from low-income households and students of color—and will surround its students with female leaders and teachers who push them to reach their full potential.

Girls IN STEM Academy’s leaders recognize that finding a sense of belonging, seeing leaders who look like them, and being inspired and challenged are critical components of building the next generation of female STEM professionals. Too often, schools fail to foster young women’s curiosity in STEM from a young age, and as they reach high school, females are too often coached out of pursuing STEM careers.

Attending a school like this would have transformed my own journey to become a STEM professional, entrepreneur and technology leader. Growing up in India with parents who did not advance beyond elementary school, I sought inspiration from fellow female high school classmates who urged me to enroll in college and pursue biomedical engineering. Their support and leadership pushed me to earn my degree—even though I was one of only 10 women in my undergraduate program at the University of Mumbai.

The paradigm has changed since then, but it hasn’t changed enough. Women are still underrepresented in STEM fields, and females of color are especially underrepresented. While 29% of federal STEM workers were female as of 2019, only 15% of those workers were Black and 6% were Hispanic.

Changing the paradigm must start early. From a young age, if girls can see others who look like them in STEM positions, they can aspire to pursue such careers.

But seeing is not enough. A school like Girls IN STEM Academy is important because it gives girls opportunities to experience hands-on learning with the guidance of coaches and mentors to support them. Creating this sense of community is key to changing social norms and fostering students’ success.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we have a clear call to not let society’s perceptions of what women are capable of hinder their growth. We need more schools like Girls IN STEM Academy to show us all what is possible.•

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Thanawala is founder and CEO of Trident Systems, a global IT provider headquartered in Fishers.