As any issue ofstudies , analysesandpersonal anecdoteswill tell you , it can be a struggle to be guide seriously as a cleaning lady in STEM .
Withrife favoritism , harassment from superiors , and a depressingly sturdyglass ceiling , working in science and tech could take a bell on any woman . And woe betide anyone who want to be attractive as well as accomplished – sure subject have shownthat being beautiful can make it even harder for woman trying to navigate a stereotypically " male " field .
With that in mind , let ’s turn to the casing of oneLyndsey Scott .
Scott has enjoyed a middling prolific career as a programmer . After starting – as so many do – withan take to inscribe gamesto pass the metre in center school , she eventually fine-tune from Amherst College with a double major in Computer Science and Theater . She hascreated apps for Io – some of which have been sport by Apple . She authorsprogramming tutorialsandmentors girls in technical school . She’sa StackExchange celebrity .
And she ’s also an actress and model , with a resumé that admit names like Calvin Klein and Victoria ’s Secret .
Last hebdomad , Instagram account @coding.engineer send a photo of Scott on the catwalk during a 2009 Victoria ’s Secret Fashion show , highlighting her abilities in coding . " CODING IS FOR ANYONE " the caption hold .
But , despite her not - exactly - obscure accomplishment , the post jump filling up with users mock the theme that she could peradventure possess the science heel in the word picture . Because misogyny .
Luckily , as you ’d bear from someone with Scott ’s background in mentorship and advocacy , she did not take this lying down – replying with a list of her achievements for her skeptic .
" I normally attempt to disregard [ negativity ] , " she wrote ina watch - up Instagram post , " but make up one’s mind to stick out into the comment surgical incision of this one . "
" Programmers can come in all shapes , sizing , sexuality , races , etc . so … conceive doubly before doubt other women and daughter [ you ] encounter in technical school , " she sum up .
After the incident get going viral on Twitter and Reddit , other women lead off sharing their own experience of sexism in STEM .
Talking toBuzzfeed , Scott highlighted the need for STEM fields to be more inclusive to woman ( here ’s someideas on how , FYI ) .
" Male programmers outnumber female software engineer by about 5 to 1 , " she say , " so I think they have to take the lead in holding each other accountable . "
Scott is not the only person to promote this thought . As multitude are finally realizing , women and nonage do n’t need to be encouraged into STEM – what ’s needed is an end to the discrimination that force them out . Thankfully , with purpose models like Scott , as well as initiatives likeJocelyn Bell Burnell ’s late multi - million - dollar donationto backing minority in physics enquiry , it seems the lunar time period may slowly be bulge to call on .
