I have mixed thoughts on the issue of "girls only" encouragement in STEM and those thoughts have shifted recently more towards "less" as my own children have gotten older (my youngest are now in 9th). At this point, I really see what Nicoledad, Spaghetti, Old Dad, and Bostonian (RE situation where verbal ability far outstripping STEM ability in a high IQ female) are talking about. As a bit of a background, DH is STEM while my undergraduate is STEM but my terminal degree/career is not STEM. I have boy/girl twins whom I strongly encourage in STEM throughout childhood. DS naturally had strong interest/talent while DD had zero interest but some talent so I really had to "encourage" her much harder with far less "results". DD is a talented writer/artist, who really came into her own by late middle school, winning multiple contests with significant prizes/money/recognition, by which point I accepted/assumed she would/should not pursue STEM although I still told her to keep all her options open. DD decided against an elite art magnet for high school last year and is currently planning for a bachelor plus terminal degree that has nothing to do with her greatest talents. In the schools in our area, there really is too much stress on STEM, particularly for girls, regardless of their talents/inclinations. DD still has zero passion for STEM but is thinking only about the money/prestige/stability. I am concerned that her considerable talents will go to waste and she will be miserable in the long term.

Last edited by Quantum2003; 04/05/18 05:50 PM.