The wide gender gap persistence in STEM field is a popular issue, the phenomenon that men outnumber women in in these fields has lasted for long time. The US Bureau of labor statistics shows that, only 14% workforce women in STEM field, and this number has not changed for 20 years. The factors that cause gender gap persistence in scientific and engineering field are from three aspects which include internal biological distinctions, external social environmental influences and the job attribution in STEM field. 

The first factor is the internal biological differences between man and woman. The internal biological difference is one of the reasons that leads to the persisting gender gap in STEM field. Biological differences cause man and woman have different cognitive ability, these differences are highly related to the different interests and distinct adept skills, which means that, males are adept at objective reasoning and more interested in natural science, while, females are good at subjective cognition and prefer to choose different kinds of majors with males, such as literature, social science and art. And this distinction directly leads to the different personal preferences when man and woman face the job choices. 

The author Burgaleta Miguel in his article “Sex Differences In Brain Volume Are Related To Specific Skills, Not To General Intelligence” illustrates the neuroanatomy factor which causes the gender gap on some specific cognitive skills. The author uses research data and charts to analyze the differences on two gender’s grey matter and white matter, which are two crucial tissues in human’s brain. The grey matter and white matter in two genders’ brains are different in many aspects, such as nerve cell number and volume occupied. Male’s grey matter is bigger than female has, and grey matter is associated with motor control skills. While female has more white matter, which is a connective tissue that allows cell to communication. Therefore, the male has a more competitive brain to master objective recognition skills which means that, the difference on brain tissues leads to the distinguish advantage cognitive skills between male and female. As the author Burgaleta Miguel states, although the difference brain structure leads to the different adept cognitive ability, that does not mean women and men have the general IQ distinction, the different cognitive ability only leads to the different adept skills between two genders. Therefore, different biological structure between male and female’s brain only causes the distinct advantage cognitive skills, which means that, at the same IQ level, males are better at objective recognition and logic analysis than females. And strong objective recognition and logic analysis skills are needed in STEM field that women struggle to use. Since women are not good in objective analyzing as man due to biological distinction, many women choose to keep away from STEM field jobs. 

The different cognitive ability between men and women directly leads them preform differently during their growing process, and that distinct performances lead to the different self-consciousness in their early age. For example, boys have the higher average score than girls have in math and science class, and boys prefer to attend science experiment and to observe natural phenomena than girls. This fact causes boys and girls have a different self-consciousness which is contributed in their early age, that causes them perform the different major choices when they face their college major selection. The author Speer, Jamin D, who is the professor of Pennsylvania University in Social science major, states that, the internal biological distinctions is the main reason cause boys and girls perform the different results of college preparation, and that can account for the different major selections. Compared with girls, boys usually have the higher score in Math and Science exams. While, girls usually perform a better job than boys in language class. These results are highly related to the different major choices when boys and girls face major selections, and the gender gap in college major selections directly leads to the different future job choices, which cause the persisting gender gap in STEM field. 

Also, the internal biological differences are also cause the different interests. The author of the article “Legislation Won’t Close Gender Gap in Sciences” which is published on New York Times uses the research result from Stephen J. Ceci and Wendy M. Williams to prove that, the internal biological gap between two genders lead to man and woman show the distinct personal preferences which show in every aspect in their life. For example, boys are prefer to play the toys which are require manipulative ability, like: electronic cars and tele-controlled toy planes, and men are better at maintain electronic appliances than women; while, girls are prefer to play with dolls and are better at readings than boys. This distinct interest is related to their innate different abilities, and will persist during the whole life. Then leads to the different choices when they face the job choices, that leads men are prefer to stay in STEM field which are more focus on objective analyzing, and women are prefer to choose the jobs which are highly related to subjective thoughts and skills. This different personal choice is one of the major parts of the reason that causes wide gender gap in STEM field persisting for a long time.

Moreover, the internal biological differences are deep rooted in two genders whole life. Many women who choose the STEM career are quit because they cannot overcome the influences of the different innate ability. As the author Wang, Ming-Te states in article “Gender Gap in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): Current Knowledge, Implications for Practice, Policy, and Future Directions.”, the internal skills distinctions cause women who choose the STEM field always feel big pressure to keep themselves devoting in STEM career, with the development of technology, the people who engage in STEM field have to keep studying and improving themselves to remain their professional ability. Women do not have the strong objective analyze ability and skills as men, which are highly related to the performance of STEM jobs. Therefore, they need input more energy and spend more time to to keep themselves devoting in STEM field, that causes them always feel big pressure, and this factor can be considered as a part of reason that women quit from STEM field. 

The external social environmental factor includes the two parts. The first part is social stereotypes, and the second part is gender discriminations in scientific and engineering field. These crucial reasons cause gender gap last long time in STEM field. Stereotypes contributes girl’s wrong self-consciousness in their early age, that misconception will persist in their whole life causes many women keep away from the scientific field. Also, many women who engaged in scientific and engineering workforce choose to quit their jobs because of the gender discrimination and unsatisfied treatment. 

Girls who grow in an environment which full of stereotypes build a totally wrong self-consciousness when they were children, that misconception will persist in their whole life and leads to an incredible serious consequence. This wrong self-consciousness becomes the major reason which causes many women keep away from the scientific field. 

As the author Kelly, Wallace states in her article “The 'boys Are Better at Math' Mindset Creates Gender Gap in Sciences” which has been published on CNN, the traditional bias in society that “girls are not good at math as boys” builds girls a wrong belief since they were young. That belief has a great influence on woman’s self-conscious system and then leads to the phenomenon that, women always show the different job choices with men, and usually do not choose jobs related to STEM field. Since in their mind, they believe that they cannot handle the STEM jobs because they are girls. The author states that, this fact is highly related to the different self-consciousness which has contributed in women’s early age. The traditional word that “I’m not good at Math and science because I’m a girl” influenced women unconsciously for a long time, when they face major choices and job choices, this traditional concept controls their minds and limits them to choose STEM career. Moreover, the author interviewed many women who work in STEM field, she found that, most of these women have different growing environment, which means that they are not indoctrinated the thought that “girls are not good and Math and Science” during their childhood. This evidence strongly prove that traditional social stereotype has profound influences on women’s career choices and is one of the crucial reason causes gender gap in STEM field. 

Also, the National Post Radio published a podcast talks about the external society environment factors which cause the gender gap in STEM field, and illustrates the relationship between gender gap and the social stereotype influence. The radio states that, the number of girls studying in science and engineering is increasing recent years, while, there still persists a large gender gap in higher education and workforce in STEM field, and that fact mainly due to the traditional thought influences to the girls. In this podcast, about twenty female engineers are interviewed about their experience in STEM career. Most of them indicated that, they are not influenced by the traditional thought when they were children, their major and career choices are not influenced by the social stereotype. Most of them agree that, without the unconscious limitation in their minds is the most important factor which has played an important role when they face career choice. This podcast also did some other survey about the reason why the number of girls studying in science and engineering is increasing recent years. The research data indicate that, traditional stereotypes about “girls are not good at Math” are weakened in recent years, more and more people have changed their perspective about girls’ Math ability, and that can be considered as one of the major reasons which lead to the increasing number of women in STEM field. Although the number of female engineers is increasing, there is still a large gap between female and male workforce numbers in STEM field. If more people eliminate traditional stereotypes in their mind, this gap will continue to shrink. 

Moreover, the second part of the external social factor is the gender discrimination in STEM field and unsatisfied treatment, which also can be counted as the important reasons leads to the persisting gender gap.

The author Hunt, Jennifer of the article “Why do Women Leave Science and Engineering?” states her conclusion that, according to the large amount of survey results data, one of the major social reasons that causes the gender gap in the science and engineering field includes two aspect factors, one of the factors is that woman’s professional abilities are usually not trusted when they face promotion opportunities, and another one is that, most of them are dissatisfied with the salaries and treatment. In the STEM field, women are considered as the minority who do not have the excellent professional ability and competitive internal talent. Therefore, when women and men who engage in STEM field face the same opportunity to develop their career, the men usually have more probability to get the opportunity. This unfair fact causes more and more women who work in STEM field feel that, the gender discrimination in STEM field greatly limits their career development and they have no way to solve this problem. As the result, many women who engaged in STEM field decide to quit STEM jobs because they believe that they will not have the same opportunity as the men have to develop their career. This gender discrimination can be called glass ceiling which also show in many other field, but the fact is that, this glass ceiling is more normal and has greater impact in STEM field, and has become one of the major reasons cause the wide gender gap persistence in STEM field. 

Also, as the author Frueh Sara addresses in her book “A Summary Of A Workshop”, women who devoted in STEM field always feel they have unfair treatment is an important reason causes women decide to quit STEM jobs, especially the unsatisfied salaries make female engineers change their mind when they face career choices. The author through analyzing engineering woman’s career outcomes, career lasting time and woman’s technical talent to analyze this issue. She states that, although government, colleges and companies devote to narrow the gender gap in the science and engineering field for a long time, only 11 percent of engineers in United States are woman, and this situation will continue if the gender discrimination and unfair treatment still exist in the STEM field. 

As a result, eliminate the gender discrimination, give women and men the same opportunities and treatment in STEM field, build a correct self-consciousness for girls are the main solution to weaken the gender gap in STEM field. Since the influences which causes by biological distinctions cannot be eliminated through people’s effort, but these stereotypes can be eliminated and then to shrink the gender gap in STEM field. 

The third reason why gender gap persisting in STEM field is that, the jobs in STEM field has its own special job attribution, which means that, the STEM jobs requires people who engage in have to devote a large amount of time to ensure their competitive ability, in order to keep improving themselves and maintain the high competitive abilities to serve for STEM development. And this special job attribution requires engineers to devote large 
amount of time to their jobs, for some women, who already married and have babies are really difficult to spend same time on their jobs as the men do, because they have to to spend a substantial time to look after their family. The energy and time which women spend on their family are higher than men do. This fact causes women who engage in STEM field do not have enough time to ensure their devoting and keep their high professional competitive academic ability as men. Therefore, after women enter the STEM field for a long time, this disadvantage becomes more and more obvious, and cause many women feel great stress in STEM field, as a result, many of them decide to leave their STEM career. This reason can be counted as a big part of the reasons why wide gender gap persisting in STEM field.

As the author Wang, Ming-Te states in the article “Gender Gap in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): Current Knowledge, Implications for Practice, Policy, and Future Directions.”, the major reasons why gender gap persists in STEM field come from six parts, but the STEM jobs’ attribution is the deciding factor which cause this situation still existing. Most of women are more prefer to choose jobs that have more flexible work schedule and more breaks in order to have more time to focus on familial obligations when they get married and build their own family. The author indicates that, when women experience some important transitions in their life, they are more likely to change their original lifestyle value and goals than men do. For example, when women get marriage or have babies, most of them will shift their focus to family, but do not only concern about their career and spend most of their energy on their career like before. This fact leads women to a situation that, they cannot handle their career like before, because they have to consider about their kids, their families, and do not have enough time to maintain the high level work intension like before, then, their professional ability are lower than before and cannot keep engaging in STEM field. As a result, more and more women are willing to leave STEM field because of the special jobs attribution in STEM field. 

The gender gap persistence in STEM field is a popular topic lasts many years, while, some people do not agree with this fact and believe that, the gender gap in STEM field is not a common issue and only exist in America.

As the author Gharibyan, Hasmik addressed in the article “Gender Gap in Computer Science Does Not Exist in One Former Soviet Republic.”, the gender gap in scientific field is not a general global issue, although in the USA, this problem persists for a long time, however this issue does not exist in many other regions. Therefore, the gender gap in STEM field cannot be considered as an “issue”, that means the gender gap in STEM field does not really exist at all. Moreover, the author compared this situation between Soviet republics and the USA, aims to prove that the gender gap is only a situation persists in USA, and we should not consider this as a general problem.

However, the author Gharibyan, Hasmik’s statement is not objective. Although the author is from the Soviet and the statement about the Soviet situation in STEM field is true, the other region in the rest of the world has not been mentioned in the article. Therefore, this article cannot prove that, the gender gap in STEM field is not a general problem and only exist in the USA. Moreover, the author Frueh Sara in her article mentioned that, the gender gap is a lasting issue which exists all over the world. As a result, the organizations such as National Academy of Sciences (NAS) engaging on exploring the reason causes the gender gap in STEM field. And a research which was led by the Governing Board of the National Research Council organized on April 24, 2013, in Germany. This research aimed to solve the globally gender gap issue in STEM field. That indicates that, the gender gap persistence does exist all over the world and become a serious problem.

In conclusion, the gender gap in STEM field has persisted for a long term and became a serious global problem. The reasons cause this issue are from three aspects. The internal biological factor which means women and men have distinct adept ability. The external social environmental factor which includes traditional stereotype and gender discrimination are also counts for a big part of the reason why gender gap persists in STEM field. Moreover, the STEM jobs’ attribution makes women cannot keep continuous engaging in STEM field for a long term. In these three reasons, the external stereotypes and gender discrimination in STEM field are the only two factors which can be eliminated through people’s effort. Therefore, abandon the stereotypes to girls and give women engineers the same opportunity as men have will be the best way to narrow this persist gender gap in STEM field. 
