Women in Humanities

By: Avery Didden

“I am an English major, and I am proud.” This is definitely not something you’ll hear many young women say when they’re asked their majors. Many will dance around the question, say they're still undecided, embarrassed that they haven’t taken an interest in the “hard” subjects. 

There is a weird dynamic surrounding women in academia in the modern world. As women in STEM fields are praised more and more, there seems to be a decline in the respect for women who choose to follow a humanities path. 

This is not the fault of the women in STEM movement, which after all, exists because of an unequal and appalling discrepancy in women entering male-dominated fields. Although our society has advanced significantly in terms of gender equality, men are still more likely to become STEM majors than women, and women only make up 27% of STEM occupations. The women in STEM movement is something necessary and unfinished; lots of work needs to be done for women to be equal to men in STEM fields in terms of practice and pay. 

But, something unfortunate happens when we choose to push this movement on all women. As an English major myself, I know first-hand about the downward glances and condescending smiles you get for speaking about your humanities major. People don’t think it’s respectable because it’s not a traditionally “hard” subject. 

This is where the problem arises. Something being “hard” has nothing to do with the money you will make after college. If that were the basis, maybe it would make sense for Econ to be viewed as the “hardest” subject. When I say “hard,” I mean the respect you feel and with which you are treated by your peers when you express an interest in a field of study. Because men have been respected more than women historically, this “hard” title has been bestowed upon the STEM field because of years of men occupying that realm of study. Thus, STEM students have more respect, praise, and positive coverage. 

What does this mean? Well, in 2021, we are still conflating the notion of difficulty and respect with something being male-dominated.

As a result, the women in STEM movement is something that can be used to make women in humanities feel inferior still and forever due to the standard that men are dominant in STEM fields over humanities fields. Just because women get more humanities degrees than men does not mean we should disempower women who decide to choose a slightly more well-traveled path. 

Yes. It is awesome if you’re a female STEM major. You are doing what you love and fighting stereotypes along the way. All I ask is that you allow other women the same option of doing what they love without inflicting the same stereotypes on them that you have just worked to break down. Do not fault them for not doing something male-dominated. Why should you? Why does what men do still have to be the standard by which we judge what is “hard,” impressive, and empowering? 

As females, we have a responsibility to lift each other up. For STEM students, it is more difficult to do what they love because of the inequalities in their fields. We should be working to break down those barriers not making those interested in the humanities feel inferior because they do not have to fight against those stereotypes.