Final Project: Derailing Our Daughters Towards An Amazing Future With Endless Possibilities

The first time I ever heard the term “tracking” used was three semesters ago by my Sociology professor referring to how from the earliest stages of childhood development leading all the way to their children’s college years are significantly influenced by their parents’ upbringing, cultural, and socioeconomic status.  In a patriarchal society, boys and girls gender roles are already predetermined even before they enter pre-school, boys are conditioned to do and play with boys’ things and girls, girly and princess things.  By the time girls entered into the second grade, they are already conditioned that math is for boys and girls, well, they do girly and princess thing and they play with toys from the “pink aisles.” Enough is enough.

Little girl playing with building block learning spatial skills

This tracking process also predetermines the life and career paths of our daughters with limited possibilities than that of our sons.  Because of our traditional mind set on how we tracked our children in a patriarchal society, especially how the ways our daughters are being railroaded, it is time to derailed this tracking process, this mind set and give our daughters the abilities to soar and show them that they are by far more capable them their brothers of achieving great and amazing things. 

It has been proven in a recent study conducted across 65 countries where boys and girls were given the same science test where most of the girls around the world outperformed the boys, but not in the US and that the result on how the girls in the US scored was not the result of biology, but a cultural thing.  At this time in America, only 17% of our girls in college are majored in engineers and scientists, and almost the same percentage are in those sectors upon graduation, while the rest of the world in certain countries where women have a higher percentage.

Girl power, future structural engineers.

My proposed project will be a work in progress to change the mind sets of other parents in my community who are influenced by the traditional patriarchal culture who continues to discourage their young daughters with implicit bias perpetuating antiquated stereotypes like girls can’t do math or girls don’t become engineers. I want to see more parents, especially fathers supporting their girls to take interest the science and engineering technology fields.  Currently I work at a non-profit organization for a fatherhood initiative program funded by the New York City’s Department of Youths and Community Development to work with fathers to provide them with guidance, assistance, and information to help them to become better fathers.  I believe this is a good platform for me to bring awareness and possible change their mind sets on they should learn to allow their daughter to soar to a place where they were told it was not possible before.  

Future Bio-Chemist, cosmetologist,  

We need to bring awareness not only to the parents, but also to the teachers to stop implicit biases against our daughters at the earliest stage of development and provide something that boys get during their early stage of development that girls do not receive, spatial skills so that our young daughters can close the digital divide gender gap in science, technology, engineering and math when they enter into the workforce. 

Mathematician, Future casino owners. 

The project will also involve other local government agencies, like the Department of Education, and other agencies under New City Hall’s organizational chart to advocate for Girl Go STEM!  The project will also involve in designing courses, workshop or seminars to assist fathers, parents to change their mind sets and how to motivate their little girls to become future astrophysicist, bio-chemical engineers to design things with girls, female and women in mind and not by guys, old guys who knows jack about women things like feminine hygiene products, cosmetic, fashion, etc, etc, etc. 

I thought about the topic with my own daughter in mind, because if we are to advocate for women, we better start by building their foundation at the earliest stage of development and deconstruct our mind set on how we parents are supposed to raise our daughters and avoid implicit bias and antiquated stereotyping.  I am doing this for myself as well as for other fathers out there who wants to do right by their daughters and not short change them of their futures.  I will distribute the material through my professional as well via social media, but most likely I distribute the information directly to fathers and the families I work with at my organization. 

Research material (work in progess)

Inspiring the next generation of female engineers: Debbie Sterling at TEDxPSU. 

Engineering - Where are the girls and why aren't they here? Dr. Jenna Carpenter at TEDxMonroe. 

Where Have All The Girls Gone? | Michelle Sandford | TEDxPerth.

Girls, boys, and science toys | Jenna Connolly | TEDxOrangeCoast.