Over the past three decades, female representation in the biological sciences has greatly improved. The percentage of women comprising the workforce in biological, environmental, and life sciences more than doubled between 1993 and 2010 to 48% (source: NSF). Despite these advances, women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) remain underrepresented in media and entertainment. The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, in collaboration with the Lyda Hill Foundation, completed the most comprehensive analysis of STEM character portrayals in Hollywood. By analyzing more than 1,000 leading roles taken from popular television shows and movies, they found that men outnumber women nearly two-to-one in STEM roles. Even more shocking, this statistic hasn't improved in the past ten years. This under representation is especially devastating, given the report's finding that girls are more likely to pursue STEM if they personally know someone in the field, receive encouragement, or have a STEM role model. Thus, if girls and women don?t see themselves represented as STEM professionals onscreen, they will be less likely to pursue those career paths. In light of the detrimental effects that under representation of women in STEM can have, theIF/THEN Initiative was established with the goal of encouraging girls to consider careers in science. Aptly named, this initiative upholds the mantra: IF we support a woman in STEM, THEN she can change the world. TheIF/THEN Initiative is funded by the Lyda Hill Foundation, a philanthropic organization whose mission is to support transformational advances in science and nature, and by kick-starting theIF/THEN Initiative, aims to inspire the next generation of female scientists. The IF/THEN Initiative pursues its mission through three key objectives: (1) connect middle school girls to positive role models in STEM, (2) highlight the importance of STEM in society, and (3) improve the media's representation of women in STEM. Through steadfast implementation of these goals, theIF/THEN initiative strives to empower young girls to become pioneers in STEM and hopes to inspire a cultural shift in the collective perception of women in science.
First and foremost, the IF/THEN Initiative seeks to provide young girls with positive role models in STEM. In partnership with the American Association for the Advancement of Science(AAAS), the IF/THEN Initiative selected a group of talented women in STEM to act as IF/THEN Ambassadors. These Ambassadors work in a wide range of scientific careers, from paleontology and oceanography to conservation photography and sports science, and were chosen to share their passion for science with students inside and outside the classroom. Dr. Jessica Taaffe, CAMB alumna and associate scholar with Penn's Center for Global Health, was recently chosen as an AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador. As a global health scientist working in Washington, D.C., Dr. Taaffe has worked with institutions like the NIH, World Bank, and United Nations on a variety of projects tackling global health problems by employing diverse types of science. Dr. Taaffe finds the intersection of global health and science incredibly exciting and hopes to "share that excitement with young girls, to explain the complexity of global health problems and stress that there are many ways to tackle global health."
Dr. Jessica Taaffe, a CAMB alumna, was selected as an AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador. Together, these Ambassadors serve as role models for the next generation of women in STEM.
As an Ambassador, Dr. Taaffe engages her community through social media, having created both a professional Facebook page and new content for her Instagram account (@signora_da_vinci), in addition to her active Twitter profile (@JessicaTaaffe). In the future, she plans to connect with girls interested in STEM by participating in virtual and direct engagement opportunities made available by theIF/THEN Initiative. For example, many Ambassadors have participated in public engagements through Skype sessions with students and through conference panels or workshops targeted to young girls. Through these outreach activities, Dr. Taaffe and the IF/THEN Ambassadors provide critical mentorship to girls, opening their eyes to the types of STEM careers that they too can achieve.
Another central goal of theIF/THEN Initiative is to illustrate that STEM is everywhere and important for a variety of occupational fields. To that end, the IF/THEN Initiative partnered with over 30 coalition members that are committed to actively promoting women in STEM. These diverse coalition members, such as the World Wildlife Foundation and National Geographic Society, are instituting new practices to both elevate women in STEM and attract girls to STEM professions. For example, in partnership with the IF/THEN Initiative, the national U.S. Soccer organization has committed to hiring more women into new full-time positions, such as sports medicine and sports science. Another major partner, Girl Scouts of America, is working together with the IF/THEN Initiative to create a new STEM Career Exploration badge for Girl Scouts. By demonstrating that STEM plays a central role in a wide array of jobs - jobs that can even overlap with one's hobbies - girls can begin to envision a future in STEM.
The final component of the IF/THEN Initiative is to engage media partners to help shift the perception of women in STEM. The Initiative hopes to bring greater visibility to women in science by promoting positive portrayals of female scientists in entertainment and media. Recently, the IF/THEN Initiative partnered with GoldieBlox, a children?s media company, to produce a YouTube series encouraging mentorship between women working in STEM and middle school girls. Mission Unstoppable, a new CBS television program, showcases women on the cutting-edge of science, including zoologists, astronauts, and codebreakers. Finally, the Initiative is assembling an IF/THEN Collection comprising a digital library of accurate and powerful images of real girls and women in STEM. Disseminating this collection of images to science museums, zoos, and schools will be a quick and powerful tactic to further promote the visibility of women in STEM. Together, these advances will reach young girls where they're often active - YouTube, TV, and other media platforms - to encourage their interests in STEM.
Young girls today see a world in which women in STEM remain outnumbered two to one in television, movies, and media. Without role models, whether on screen or in real life, young girls are discouraged from even considering careers in science. The ambitious IF/THEN Initiative is tackling this serious societal issue by providing girls with positive role models, illustrating the importance of science in diverse professions, and enhancing the visibility of women in STEM. When asked why she thought theIF/THEN Initiative is important, Dr. Taaffe described her own experience interacting with the AAAS Ambassadors at the IF/THEN Summit. Dr. Taaffe explains that it was the first time she felt "seen, and even more, celebrated." She explains that she saw "women [she] could identify with. The Ambassadors are inspiring and successful... They represent different backgrounds, fields of discipline, career paths, and career levels. They are multitalented... They are amazing." The diversity showcased by the IF/THEN Ambassadors provides greater opportunity for girls to see themselves in the women, and as Dr. Taaffe notes, "girls need to have role models they can identify with... because 'f you can?t see it, you can't be it.'"
Additional information about theIF/THEN Initiative can be found at https://www.ifthenshecan.org/.
To learn more about Dr. Taaffe and her work as a Global Health Scientist, check out her website at http://www.jessicataaffe.com/. Dr. Taaffe's full interview transcript is available on the CAMB Student Newsletter blog at https://cambnewsletter.wixsite.com/blog.