Women continue to be underrepresented in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, despite efforts to close the gap.
In 2023, women made up only 28% of the STEM workforce in the United States, according to MIT Professional Education, a disparity they say is the result of stereotypes, a lack of role models in the field, unconscious bias and work-life imbalances. This is not only concerning because of the lack of diversity, MIT adds, but also because it limits the potential of the STEM industry.
Salt Lake Community College held a keynote presentation on March 20 at the Taylorsville Redwood campus to facilitate a discussion of empowerment and equity in STEM. The presentation, given by Assistant Professor Dr. Dalia Salloum, offered insight into the world of STEM and the concept of “steminism,” referencing feminism in STEM.
Salloum said “steminism” goes beyond just adding new terminology in the fight for gender equity in the field. “Maybe y’all can listen to my story and draw some values [about] what we think ‘steminism’ should look like,” she commented.
Growing up in Palestine, Salloum described that she never came across gender disparity within education. “I never had to confront the idea that women were less gifted than boys,” she said, adding that others always encouraged her to pursue her dreams.
It wasn’t until Salloum furthered her education at the New Jersey Institute of Technology that she was exposed to the drawbacks women face in the U.S. Salloum recalled harsh environments where professors called female students “f—ing amateurs” when they made normal mistakes, as well as hearing comments that she wasn’t cut out to be in STEM.
This was not only Salloum’s reality but the reality of many others, she said. Such a harsh learning environment led Salloum and other women to group together and see men in STEM as gatekeepers.
Because of this environment, Salloum said she took a step back from education and decided to travel, eventually becoming a skydiving instructor. This inspired Salloum to return to her institute, proclaiming that if she could jump out of a plane, she could complete her data analysis work and finish her degree requirements.
“I do not ever want to teach the way I was taught,” said Salloum, who later found inspiration to conduct research in the field of education. “It’s a very toxic learning environment. So, I really took it to heart.”
With a shifted perspective on education, Salloum began studying the relationship between anxiety and performance. Specifically, she looked at how the neural networks tied to breathing, walking and sleeping can affect learning. Using this information, Salloum said she taught human anatomy students how they could lower their test-taking anxiety.
With her research now submitted to research journals, Salloum hopes publication will happen soon so the public can access it.
Salloum credited resources such as SLCC’s TRIO programs with supporting students in STEM. “We suffer under a system of meritocracy and the system of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps,” she said. “That’s why we have programs to help alleviate that [stuff].”
“This is society on a small scale,” she continued, discussing why representation in STEM relies on the systems from which students come. “Us in this institution, how we treat each other and how we as faculty lead you into becoming the best versions of yourselves.”
