Women, Science, and Technology Through the Eyes of a Foreign Classmate

I conducted a lengthy interview with rising Junior and fellow classmate Akimi Goto concerning her thoughts on women in STEM related fields.  Having sat beside her most of all semester with no intentions of interviewing her, it was revealed later that I would’ve been hard pressed to find someone more exposed to gender discourse and candid about some of the issues she has faced.  As physics classmates, we had the opportunity to discuss some of the issues I’ve studied and read about this semester over a two day period.  Since this is a blog, I first focused my attention on her background information to lay a firm foundation as to why she positions herself with certain topics.

Born and raised up to the age of 16 in Chiba, Japan, Akimi has always been exposed to math and science courses due to the electronic economic landscape of her country. Many of her family members have worked as engineers for many of the major corporations that make TV’s, computers, cell phones, cameras, and etc.  Her view of corporate Japan’s treatment of women is just as eye-opening as it is here at home.  As a matter of fact, the reason why she came abroad to study was to broaden her options and become integrated into the American culture. Growing up and watching some of her friends return home from America to visit really motivated her to follow suit.  She recounted a moment when her cousin’s friend, who now lives in New York working as Public Relations for a major talent agency, came home to visit.

 “Number one, when I saw her she looked so happy and different.  I remember hearing her without her accent, talking slang, and me picking up on a culture that she was newly submerged in.  Her clothing was so chic but yet so classy. At that time I remember telling myself that I wanted to be a part of this thing that I really couldn’t explain.”  

She began to tell me that it wasn’t until years later that she understood what and why she fell in love with this thing.  Living 25 miles from the world capital of electronics, Akimi explained to me how highly competitive it is at nearby prestigious institutions to the extent that some people are put on waiting lists to enroll. In addition to that, she complained how highly populated the area was with the underlying fact that she was a woman and that a ceiling for her “career” would be met at some point. Living by the seaport, there were many warehousing and factory jobs available but most of them were for men. Many middle aged to retiree women who worked part-time were also farmers that sold their harvest at local markets.  Their main focus however was to care of home and maintain domestic duties.  

After conversing more she revealed to me that she felt hostage to the culture of following the same education model that everyone was following which broaden her aspirations to pursue something in liberal arts instead of STEM related careers.  Although she moved she didn’t convert her studies to liberal arts.  As a rising junior majoring in chemical engineering here at NC State, she explained how difficult it was to choose something other than engineering.

“I felt it was a part of my DNA to become a doctor, scientist, or engineer.  I remember my parents telling me to pursue something viable since the economy wasn’t doing too great and that I would have something firm to fall back on if other things didn’t work out.  But more important than that, I remember feeling so much internal pressure parting from an academic career in engineering that I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I think it was mainly due to my culture and my parents’ hope for me to become a chemical engineer. I didn’t want to let them down and become an outcast of the family so I decided to take their advice and pursue a chemical engineering degree.”    

After she told me why she decided to major in chemical engineering, I immediately directed her attention to Jaekyoun Lee’s article, “Asian Americans and the Gender Gap in Science and Technology” that I read in class.  A passage in the article mentions how career activities such as leadership, entertainment, sports, and politics were limited to Asian Americans because of their English language skills or social discrimination. Therefore they would choose occupations of greater upward mobility.  Lee also mentions how Asian men dominate high position jobs, allowing women more likely than men to adopt traditional American male sex roles and more willing to accept a new culture and language.  Akimi’s eyes lit up with amazement as she began to tell me how true that was.  She was so interested in the Jaekyoun Lee’s article that she made copies of the pages to read on her own.

The next day that I talked to her, she seemed to be so opinionated after reading the article.  It seemed as if she had an epiphany as to why she chose to study here in America and consider other studies. At first she attributed it to her culture which is partly true but she never thought that it was gender related in any way.  She also opened up more and told me how boring and unchallenging chemical engineering is for her.

“To be very honest I took most of these classes back in Japan so calculus, physics, and chemistry come very easy for me.  I tend to find my elective classes more interesting than my concentration classes. If I had it my way, I would major in dance or communications because I find it more fulfilling and I feel as though it will help me become a part of the American culture where I could be accepted and be able to go in any direction I choose.”  

     

I then asked her if she experienced any stereotypical comments because of her race and/or gender and she replied that she has experienced both.  She has friends that ask her to study with them on numerous occasions and make comments such as, “I know nothing now but after studying with you I’m sure I’ll ace this test”. After she told me that I had to ask if that has help her socially or has it became a hindrance.  She told me that although she has been offered jobs through people she knows, it becomes offensive when they offer positions that may require highly trained people in a specific field that she has no expertise in with very low pay.  She said that could be a set-up of failure and elaborated further how this could hinder others of her race to pursue STEM related academics.

She also recalls how culturally shocked she was to see women stereotyped and marketed on TV and in print.  

“Although it goes on in Japan, the pervasiveness in which it’s done here is shocking.  When it’s done in Japan it’s usually seen late in the afternoon for certain products.  Here, it could be seen in a children’s book which trains the mind of young America. This also could be why teenage pregnancy is the highest here in America and among the lowest in Japan.”

Despite all things that Akimi has overcome and will in the future, she is excited about what’s ahead of her.  She realizes that women of all races have it tough here in America but takes it on as a challenge.  Moving forward, her dreams and aspirations are to become an actor or TV personality having looked up to Oprah as the quintessential trail blazer for all woman because she had to overcome the same things she had to endure.  She tells me this gives her hope in a world that’s just now beginning to hear the issues that women endure everyday everywhere.