How Parents Can Inspire Girls to Pursue STEM with Moonrocket and Girls Who Code
The gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields is still staggering. A 2023 study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that women make up only 28% of the STEM workforce. Within the space industry, this number is closer to just 20%.
What’s worse, the gap is widening, not shrinking. Take the field of computer science, for example. In 1995, 37% of computer scientists were women, but now it’s only 24%.
This trend is particularly distressing considering that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that technology jobs in the U.S. are skyrocketing and will grow the fastest between now and 2030. Excluding half the population from building our tech-powered future is not only unfair, but also a recipe for failure.
This is a topic I’m personally passionate about, as an executive in the space industry and the father of two STEM-loving daughters. Like most parents, I want my girls to have every opportunity to achieve their dreams and feel inspired to do so. I realize addressing the problem for all our daughters will require significant investment and probably a wholesale overhaul of the educational system.
So, why did I launch a company that designs wall art for girls? Can a square of stretched canvas really make a difference in closing the gender gap in STEM, and specifically, space-related fields?
Absolutely. And here’s exactly how it works.
1. Exposing girls to positive female role models greatly increases their interest and confidence in pursuing a career in technology.
A study conducted by Southern Utah University, in partnership with Microsoft, determined that girls who know a woman in a STEM profession are 45% more likely to see themselves following a similar path. Sadly, female role models in tech are sometimes scarce, so girls may not have a woman technologist in their lives they can look up to.
But we have other ways to shape their young minds. Surrounding girls with images of women represented as astronauts, rocket scientists, engineers, and mathematicians plants the seed that these roles are fully accessible them.
“It’d be really cool to see women in STEM careers on posters in the hall.”
8th Grade Girl and Focus Group Participant
This insight is at the core of Moonrocket’s strategy – to adorn girls’ bedrooms, workspaces, and classrooms with female role models in space professions.
2. Art and creativity are key to stimulating girls’ interest in STEM.
While an impressive 91% of girls describe themselves as creative, barely one-third of them see STEM jobs as creative professions, according to the study. These perceptions drastically improve after just one, brief interaction that presents the imaginative and expressive aspects of working in technology.
“My teacher is making me build a rocket ship with some other students, so that got me interested in STEM a little bit because I like to build and create.”
Middle School Girl and Focus Group Participant
Moonrocket’s designs celebrate the beauty and artistry of space exploration and space technology, with the goal that girls will see the field as an outlet for their creativity and self-expression.
3. Parental encouragement is crucial to girls pursuing STEM careers.
Moms have the most influence on their daughters’ interest in science and technology. Girls are 2.5 times more likely to take engineering classes in high school with a mom who encouraged them to do so. Dads, you’re not off the hook! For girls who see STEM careers as “for boys,” fathers can reframe their perceptions by reinforcing that tech jobs are “for everyone.”
Often, parents are the ones deciding how to decorate their little girls’ bedrooms – we have the credit card, after all! Making the choice to feature space art designed for girls is a powerful form of parental encouragement. Start young, Mom and Dad! (Rest assured, Moonrocket has prints for nurseries, too.)
4. Finally, I recognize what we’re doing here at Moonrocket is only part of the solution.
Getting girls involved in STEM clubs is also a wonderful way to give them real, hands-on experience with science and technology. In fact, 77% of girls who participate in an extracurricular STEM club outside of regular classroom instruction say they know how to pursue a career in STEM, and, even better, they report feeling powerful doing STEM activities. How incredible!
That’s why I’m thrilled to make a big announcement…
Moonrocket is now donating 3% of our sales to Girls Who Code.
This stellar non-profit organization is changing the game. They’ve provided over a half-million girls with in-person experiences, training, and education in STEM. More than half of the girls they’ve supported come from underrepresented groups that historically haven’t had access to emerging science and technology resources like this.
When you give your daughter, granddaughter, niece, or friend a Moonrocket wall art print, you can feel confident that you’ve made a meaningful contribution to an important mission: to inspire the next generation of girls to explore space!
Onward!
Matt Miksa
Founder of Moonrocket
