When I was in high school, the top student in my graduating class was a girl who excelled in all subjects. She planned to study biochemistry and was a leader who helped launch the high school newspaper as my co-editor. I was proud to know her.
For graduation day, however, a boy was chosen as valedictorian and, even though his marks were a little lower than hers, he walked away with the most awards. The school guidance counsellor had focussed on his success, helping him plan his future and supporting him for years afterward. I liked the boy as well, but I remember being baffled that he had received more award cheques than the girl.
She did start studying biochemistry but, without the support she needed to succeed, she left university. She ended up returning later, continuing with her studies toward a lower-paying arts career instead of science.
Personally, I had the highest marks in my class in math and chemistry, but when I decided to pursue a lower-paying field, the high school counsellor didn’t question my choice. This week, I spoke to another woman who now works in an intellectual job, but her guidance counsellor had suggested she become a secretary. In our mothers’ generation, the women who worked were usually secretaries, teachers or nurses.
In 2016, it seems little has changed for young women entering the workforce, and the high school guidance situation has not improved. A girl in my daughters’ school with the top marks in her class decided to study nursing even though she had originally wanted to be a doctor. There’s nothing wrong with being a secretary or nurse – both valuable members of our society – but it’s time we start encouraging girls to enter the higher-paying jobs that will later support their families.
I wrote a story for my university newspaper almost 30 years ago about the lack of girls in the trades and engineering. Today, you’ll find an almost identical story here focussing on a woman, age 27, who is one of the rare engineers in her workplace and has been called “sweetie” by men at a job site. While universities have many women studying science, it seems many later change pursuits to something lower-paying where they don’t have to be the only female on staff.
It’s time to start creating real change. And that starts by encouraging girls to pursue higher-paying leadership and science jobs – and supporting them toward success. Only then will we finally close the wage gap and see girls fulfilling their potential.
