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I think my comment was one deleted, although not sure why, it wasn't an insult and not directed at any particular poster. I think that it perhaps could be worthwhile for men, particularly fathers of daughters, to examine male privilege as it relates to women and girls in STEM fields.

The issue was not mentors in general. It was mentors in STEM fields.

Single female parents, female elementary school teachers, female girl scout leaders, female atheletic coaches (typically in female associated atheletics such as gymnastics, dance and cheerleading) etc. can be excellent positive same-sex role models in many areas. But in the vast majority of circumstances they are not and cannot be positive same-sex STEM mentors/role models by virtue of the fact that they are typically not themselves involved in STEM careers, nor in many cases do they even know someone who would be a positive same-sex STEM mentor for a young girl.

Boys are much more likely to have male parents, male scout leaders, male coaches, male teachers etc. who may function as positive same-sex role models in those particular areas, but who are much more likely to fill the role of same-sex STEM mentors/role models, again by virtue of the fact that they themselves are more likely to be involved in or know someone involved in a STEM career who could mentor a young boy.

Regardless of whether and/or how the industries are 'designed' (for lack of a better word), boys get bombarded with the message that they are welcome, simply by the sheer number of places that they observe male role models in those STEM fields - whether it be that 6 out of 7 crew members on a shuttle mission are men, that teachers of STEM subjects in secondary education and above are vastly dominated by males, or by the depictions in pop culture, from Phineas and Ferb to Big Bang Theory. The message girls get is that they are not welcome.

My question is why aren't you equally outraged by the message your DD is getting in nearly every exposure she has to STEM fields. That message is insidious and it's pervasive and it's abundantly clear that females (including her) are generally not included or welcome in those fields. Here is a chance to counterbalance that message and it doesn't take anything away from the boys - they still get the message that they are welcome from every other venue in the STEM fields.

Do you agree that it is valuable for a young girl interested in STEM to have a STEM mentor of the same gender? What other suggestions do you have to figure out how to connect this rare resource of female STEM mentors with young girls?

Should this rare and unique resource be monopolized by large numbers of boys, who have other STEM resources, to the point where access by girls is effectively swamped based on sheer numbers? That's what happens in many other places, only a few of which have been mentioned by other posters on this thread.

It's not really fair to object and tear down these types of programs without considering how to achieve the goal without the parts you find objectionable. If your objection is that you really don't believe that same-sex STEM mentors are valuable, particularly for girls, then nothing else I say will matter.

If you are concerned that your DS will get the wrong message from this program, NASA has other mentor programs that have no reference to gender and both your children would be welcome there. My guess is that most of those programs, though, are dominated by men and your DD may not find a mentor there, while your son most likely would.

This just ticked across my Facebook timeline and is quite timely to this discussion. Of the top 100 investors on the Midas List, how many do you think were women? A whopping 5, with the top on appearing as 42 on the list. There is a desperate need for mentoring and role modeling for girls in fields outside of teachers and moms. Not dissing teachers OR moms, seeing as I went to school to be the first and have been a practicing mom for 21 years. There just aren't a lot of women role models in the more male-dominated fields.

http://venturebeat.com/2012/05/03/women-midas-list/

I'm not outraged because I know it's illogical to judge a book by its cover. Just because an industry is male dominated doesn't imply that women aren't welcome. I am an engineer, and my experience is that women are more than welcome. If my daughter ever doubts that women are welcome, she has immediate access to a someone in a STEM field who will correct her. Spreading the message that women are welcome in those fields doesn't require discrimination, and it certainly doesn't require discrimination on the part of government funded entities.

I've re-read this comment several times and just can't get past the assumption that single moms and teachers are enough for girls and that viewing women in other powerful roles of leadership and in technology is not necessary or needed. I honestly cannot believe you think that and am now wondering if such posits as these are simply to stoke the fire.

I'm not sure why you think that what you know that's illogical has anything to do with young girls and their perceptions.

I remember when my niece's school had all the 2nd graders dress up as different presidents and give a brief biography. She told my sister after the presentations that she would like to be president but knew she couldn't be. When my sister asked why she said "Because you have to be a man!"

What kids see powerfully informs their perceptions about what is possible for them.

As Dude said, just because you know the message is illogical, doesn't mean that a young girl does and they're the ones receiving it - not you. Even if judging a book by its cover is illogical, it's a fact of life - everyone does it anyway. Otherwise why bother dressing up for job interviews or a blind date?

Not to be too personal, but how do you know whether or not your DD has doubts about whether women are welcome in STEM fields? She may not necessarily ever voice them to you. For that matter she may not ever realize that she has doubts because she doesn't even realize that it's an option worth discussing. That's my point here. The message that women are not welcome is insidious. No one ever says it straight out, but you just seldom see any women in STEM careers. To the point where many girls don't even think to try because by the age of 10 or 14 or 6 they've already internalized the message - they never even get to the pont where they ask themselves or any one else - "Could I do that?".

Even if you personally can convey the message that women are welcome in STEM fields, how much weight does that carry against the possibility that your DD is the only girl on the robotics team and she is one of only two girls in the Honors Algebra class in 7th grade or that she is the only girl from her school to submit a science fair project? Last I heard, most tweens and teenagers don't always have a lot of faith in what their parents say, especially if real life appears to contradict them.

Maybe this particular program isn't your preferred way to handle this - to each their own. So what exactly are you doing to actively spread the message that women are welcome in STEM fields? How many secondary school or college women or junior staff in you organziation are you mentoring in your field? If you aren't contributing to the solution then it's not entirely appropriate for you to be tearing down an organziation (government supported or not) that is trying. Constructive criticism is a different story.

As I mentioned earlier, if you've got another idea, or two or three, please share. Many of us who are currently women in STEM fields would love to figure out how to get and keep girls interested in these areas when so much else of what they see undercuts the message we want to send.

I guess I'm also a little stuck on what exactly you see is discriminatory about the program. The admission criteria do not appear to exclude boys. The message is clearly targeted at girls, because that's the intended audience being marketed, but that's the message, not the program. It's not generally considered discriminatory to market to a particular demographic.

I have read through all of the comments on this post and have a number of thoughts from the view point of 1) a mom of 2 girls interested in STEM stuff, 2) a teacher 3) a STEM professional (I am a physicist teacher) 4) lead mentor on a FIRST robotics team.

I can see this from all possible angles (DH is also a physicist, so from the male STEM side as well). The number of girls I have come across in my 20 years of teaching that have changed their minds about going into STEM fields because it is so masculine is unbelievable. These have been incredibly bright, imaginative, hard working girls who are not interested in being the 1% female in their classes, or having to learn science and math the same way boys do. No matter what the research says, from personal experience as a female physicist and as a teacher, girls and boys learn differently and excel in different environments while learning STEM subjects.
My daughters crave the attention of female scientists because they "get it" when DDs explain an idea or a reason for looking at a situation from a different view point that the males they have talked to look at and say huh?
I did not meet a female physicist until I was a graduate student! And it blew me away to actually meet another female who not only loved physics as much as I did (and do) but also was so much smarter than I am that I felt like a babbling idiot in-front of her. (And I am a very self-confident person). I thought long and hard about that and my reaction was absolutely based on the fact that my exposure to really smart, physicists had been limited to males only. I had long since figured out that females weren't supposed to be physicists because we obviously weren't smart enough - I'd never met one, so they must not be there.

My female students on my robotics team hang on every word from the female engineering mentor we have and shine under her mentoring, whereas these same girls are insecure and timid when they are dealing with some of the male mentors who are just as good at mentoring as the female is.

I not only see a need for programs like this, but wish there were more of them - girls in this country are constantly bombarded with messages that they are not supposed to be smart and not supposed to go into stem fields. I fight this battle everyday with my students, team members and now with my daughters.

And, as a last note, I am one who does not put Mrs. in front of my name when making contacts with STEM type places/people (including car repair shops, air conditioner repairs, and computer shops) because I want them to take me seriously for what I can do and know as well as answer my questions fully as opposed to patronizing me because I am a woman (and yes, it happens all the time.)

My PG SIL was actively discouraged by a college admissions director (at a well-known prestigious school) from majoring in science and pushed towards English. Thankfully she didn't listen (she also didn't go to that school!) She got her Phd in genetics in May. This was <10 yrs. ago.