Should Teens Be Encouraged to Pursue Politics As Much As STEM?

Much has been written about the gender gap in STEM and why we need more women in science and technology. I get it. I come from a lineage of successful women in science. My mother is a physician, my aunt is a dentist, and my grandmother is a chemistry major who worked at a blood lab. I genuinely applaud their choices and believe young women should feel free to pursue their interests in STEM. But I also think that a lot has been done in recent years to encourage young women to do just that — and, though still underrepresented, women have made a lot of gains in STEM fields. It doesn’t seem like nearly as much time has been devoted to encouraging teen girls to study public policy. Here’s why it’s so important that we do both.

Our progress toward achieving global gender equality is underwhelming: one step forward, two steps back. In September, an interim report released by the United Nations stated that achieving equal opportunities for men and women by 2030 is simply impossible, and government spending is largely to blame. At current rates of investment, an estimated 110 million girls will remain out of school in 2030. Another 342 million women and girls will be forced to live on less than $2.15 a day. 2.9 billion people, the vast majority of whom are women, will continue to lack access to the internet.

How government budgets are allocated significantly impacts various aspects of women’s lives, such as education, participation in the labor force, investments in affordable childcare, paid parental leave, and access to reproductive health care. Unfortunately, the allocation is controlled mainly by men — women hold only 26.7% of parliamentary seats and 35.5% of local government seats worldwide — resulting in an unequal distribution of resources, laws, and policies written and passed mainly through men. Gender inequality exists because decision-making tables lack adequate representation of women, a reality that prompted UN Women to say, “The world is failing women and girls.”

Women’s low political participation goes beyond developing nations. The United States has fallen from 27th to 43rd place on the global gender parity index, as per the World Economic Forum. Unlike Finland, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Israel, or India, the U.S. has not elected a female head of government in the 247 years since its independence.

Over 42 million adolescents constitute 12.8% of the population in the United States. One-third of high school graduates choose not to pursue a college education. Only 44% enroll directly in a four-year college program. On average, just 39.1% of women in the U.S. complete four or more years of college, and even after entering the workforce, women can expect to earn 18% to 20% less than their male colleagues for the same job.

We need to remind ourselves that policymakers and lawmakers in Congress set the federal minimum wage. Public policy is essential in determining the government budget allocation to help reduce the gender pay gap. Additionally, policymakers are responsible for establishing paid parental leave policies. They also have control over access to reproductive health care.

Governments can encourage women to pursue higher education by offering scholarships, grants, loans, and loan forgiveness programs. Governments can also discourage girls from getting an education, such as when the Taliban banned Afghan girls from studying beyond the sixth grade. This is why more women should participate in politics and study public policy.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women and girls make up 50.4% of the U.S. population. Yet, barely 25% of U.S. senators are women, and only 28% of U.S. representatives are women. Women occupy 29.9% of state senate seats and 33.7% of state house or assembly seats. 24% of state governors are women. We have the ability and the responsibility to improve these statistics.

It is, therefore, critical to encourage high schoolers to study public policy, work for the government, or run for office to improve women’s education, health, and rights. If I chose this career path someday, my mom, aunt, and grandmother would not only approve; they would genuinely applaud.