It's confidence, not competence...

A new study was just released by National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) that reveals that “girls outperformed boys on a national test of technology and engineering literacy (learn more about this study and Moms as Mentors® work by clicking here).

While these results may or may not surprise you, there’s one group of people who may be surprised…THE GIRLS.

Why?

A mom and daughter slap-five after getting their ping pong ball launcher to work at our STEM program Build Bridges! Photo by Diane Hammer

Because according to research by the AAUW:

"Girls are much more likely than boys to say they are “not smart enough” or “not good enough” for their dream careers."

Studies like the one released today tell us that it is confidence, not competence, that contributes in large part to the lack of women in the STEM fields, particularly in engineering and computer science. And, without explicitly addressing these issues, girls aren’t just naturally going to be entering and staying in the STEM pipeline.

That’s why at Moms as Mentors®, we give moms (typically the most consistent and significant female role models for girls) the tools and opportunities to build their daughter’s confidence in the STEM fields. We believe that regardless of a mom’s educational or career path, she can be a “STEM mentor” for her daughter.

How can someone who is not in STEM be a STEM mentor?

Because even without a STEM background, moms can promote the skills, confidence and resilience necessary to succeed in STEM and expose her to a wide range of career paths.

Moms can promote “tinkering” by making sure their girls’ toys involve building, constructing and taking things apart. They can promote the “growth mindset” if and when their daughters say they just “aren’t good at math.” They can spend time with their daughter working on activities that involve good communication and collaboration skills.

Today’s results reaffirm that girls have the ability to become tomorrow’s influential STEM leaders--we know that. Now we need to make sure they know it.

(Want to be a STEM mentor but not sure where to begin? Moms as Mentors® can help! Check out our offerings http://www.momsasmentors.org/types/).