Women's challenges throughout history reflect my current experiences with power dynamics in everyday life. It has been established from early times that women were mistreated compared to men. Women did not receive the right to vote until Congress passed the 19th Amendment (fought for by Susan B. Anthony and other women's suffrage movement activists) in 1919—only a decade ago. Similarly, women were only guaranteed the right to education free from sex discrimination in 1972, more than a decade after women were first allowed to attend public schools. The advocacy of past women and the growth in our rights we’ve had since then resonate with me; I’m grateful for the privilege to attend school as a first-generation college student and woman in STEM, as I realize access to higher education hasn’t always been granted in the past.
In some science high school classes, I’ve been mistreated and discriminated against. Last year, my AP Physics class was male-dominated, as I was only one of six women-identifying students out of 36 students. I originally wanted to take the class to gain a background in Physics, as I need to learn this for my intended field of medicine. My family had once told me their concerns about girls taking classes like Chemistry and Physics, saying it was a trend that girls didn’t perform as well as guys. This doubt in my ability affected my confidence – and this, coupled with the skewed demographic ratio in my class, was the treatment that made me feel like I didn’t belong. Although I, like many others, had struggles with grasping the initial concepts of kinematics, forces, and some other introductory topics, my requests for explanations were met with “mansplaining.” As the minority, I was “jokingly” misgendered multiple times by my classmates and told I would never score as well as them because I’m a girl. At times, I believed that other classmates innately had something I didn't, and that would lead to poor performance.
The discrimination against women in male-dominated spaces is one that I’ve unfortunately had to experience in high school. Since undergoing these experiences, I’ve learned to embrace my identity, including that of a woman. Now, I’ve realized that entering and creating places in male-dominated spaces leads to needed representation, and can influence other girls and women to pursue what they might have feared before, and to be proud of their identity.
This Women’s History Month, I hope that those who might have stories like mine can love themselves for who they are, and be proud that they are continuing to overcome systemic obstacles and discrimination. Past women propel us forward to continue the work of breaking barriers and opening doors.