Gender Diversity Issues in the Natural Sciences and the Military

Diversity Issues in the Natural Sciences and the Military
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Background Women have lagged behind in the STEM fields, and particularly women of color.  On the military front, there have been restrictions on operations and work that women can engage in. Even as both the STEM fields and military have open up for women to take on more tasks that were considered challenging and unsuitable for them, there need to be more changes.  Women have demonstrated their interest and capability in pursuing STEM and military combat they are restricted by what they encounter in the workplace.  The question of the impact of discrimination is one that should not be ignored as attitudes and beliefs affect the way women working in natural sciences and the military are treated.  This is a compare and contrast the experiences of women in the military and the natural sciences. Women in the military and natural sciences  
            The number of women in the military is low 10% and the women in the STEM professions are also low.  There are cases of discrimination that have worsened the situation that women are reluctant in the army or work in the STEM field.  For instance, even women who are on the front lines, there are doubts about their ability to work effectively and there are likely to be ignored during recruitment.  Similarly, in the STEM professions there are cases of gender discrimination form the recruitment, hiring and job promotion. It is no wonder that may female students do not choose the STEM options while in college and university.  Even when women have demonstrated their competence they are passed over when picking the most appropriate candidates working in the military or the STEM jobs. Comparison In both STEM and the military women have suffered sexual harassment and felt unsafe without getting the attention of the administrators or managers. This is a concern since cases of sexual harassment affect organizations that seek to attract more women.  In the military one of the main challenges withy addressing sexual harassment and assault is that there is few or no official documentation, while a culture of silence means that cases may be ignored or to the extent that they will be shamed to dropping cases (MacKenzie, 2012).  Efforts to combat sexual harassment and assaults in STEM have also not done enough, with women at times afraid to report cases that may tarnish their name, but the military has increasingly supported awareness training. The lack of diverse faculty in STEM faculty is associated with negative experiences for minorities and women (Blackwell, Snyder & Mavriplis, 2009). This is likely because the faculties do not represents and address the concerns of women pursuing studies in the STEM field, making them feel like outsiders.  For instance, the performance of women is highly scrutinized and underrated compared to that of men (Blackwell, Snyder & Mavriplis, 2009). Similarly, the military leadership is white, male and older and this could explain the demographic profile of those seeking to enlist, the number of women willing to work in the front lines is low compared to that of men,  and the unwillingness of women to be combat is also an extension of their underrepresentation in the leadership as well as rank and file. Science and engineering courses are the least diverse in universities and this trend is mirrored in the job market where women with similar qualifications and experiences with men are less likely to be hired . Beyond the numbers of women in the military and the STEM programs, the lack of a welcoming environment is an impediment to supporting diversity in these two areas (Shaffer, Marx, & Prislin, 2013).  There is less support for women in such fields and environments compared to males.  Attempts to sustain diversity to accommodate women who are competent willing and ready to work in sciences, engineering, and technology and enlist in the military have been ineffective still the workplace is still not friendly to women. There are structural challenges that make it difficult for women to work in natural sciences and the military (Settles, 2014).  These barriers are associated with negative experiences since the problem of gender discrimination still persists as is the problem of sexual harassment. Women in STEM are more likely to report assess of discrimination and feel unwelcome in the male dominated environments.  Tolerance to behaviors considered sexist in the military has negative implications for women seeking to enroll as they are more reluctant to join if they will be isolated and likely discriminated against (Settles, 2014).  The structural bias in male dominated settings cannot be ignored when addressing diversity issues, since it is as though women are penalized for choosing the military or the natural sciences (Settles, 2014).  The negative STEM environment indicates that women are at times unwelcome, and this increases the risk of bias and indifferent behavior towards women in natural sciences (Shaffer, Marx & Prislin, 2013).  Similarly, for the women in the military b...