A lot of my previous posts are mostly concentrated on research and science, and that’s because those are the things I love. However, taking a psychology class this semester that had a more social sciences approach made me think about my story in STEM. In particular, a part of the lecture that stuck with me was the “stereotype threat”. The stereotype threat is the fear of proving a stereotype right. I’m not good at math, and I’ve always thought that would just be the way life goes, but last year, I took MAT103, and I did quite well (it’s one of the easier math classes of course, but the bar is low for me). In fact, it was my easiest class. This really changed my perspective on my math skills. When I reflected on my experience with math, I realized that this mindset I have about it was cultivated by my gender.
In particular, when I was in elementary school, I was the only girl in a table of boys who got placed in advanced math. My brother has always been better at math than me, and even my parents have noted his advanced abilities. This reinforced the idea in my head that I will always be trying to outrun my own gender to prove that I am good at math, something that’s not possible. I think the stereotype that boys are better at math has surrounded me all my life, and so the stereotype threat has been present subconsciously in my head. Math class has always terrorized me even though I don’t particularly do bad in it. In fact, I sometimes do better in math than my other classes. I’m certainly no genius, but it doesn’t deserve the pedestal I put it on. I’ve come to realize since this week’s lecture that it’s probably the ‘stereotype threat’. I’m running away from math because I’m scared of proving to everyone that the stereotype is true: girls are worse at math. If I beat people to the chase by bringing down my math abilities in my head, then no-one can start associating me with the stereotype before I have.
I wanted to major in engineering for a short spell last spring semester, and it was when I first started challenging myself to push against the ‘stereotype threat’ even though I didn’t know that was what I was doing. I kept telling my mom that not majoring in engineering because of ‘math being scary’ was silly. I ultimately did not end up choosing engineering but NOT because I was scared of math, but because I realized that research interested me more than being an engineer as a future career.
My college experience brought to surface this stereotype threat–my internalized misogyny on this matter. It did so by my surprising success in MAT103 and my consideration of an engineering degree. I also wanted to point out that this fear of math has never been directed at other people, only to myself. Most of my girl friends are engineers (funnily enough, I don’t have any molecular biology friends), and I’ve never once doubted their abilities in math.
What’s the point of this story? The fact that it all stemmed from taking a psychology class. Humanities and social sciences get us thinking inwardly, and I appreciate their introspective nature. With a heavy STEM schedule every semester, I underscore the importance of classes in the social sciences and humanities–like some psychology courses or history. They’re the subjects that should connect to us deeply, maybe more than obscure physics or intricate chemistry, yet I hear some STEM majors really harp on how annoying these classes can be. In reality, they matter in an everyday sense that any one discipline simply cannot achieve alone. These classes will help you think about yourself, and are not just ‘easy As’ or annoying essays. I invite you to appreciate the humanities or social sciences class in your schedule, and treat it as more than just fulfilling a requirement.
— Haya Elamir, Natural Sciences Correspondent
