I’ve always found it interesting how touchy of a subject diversity is. Whether it’s within a workplace, university, or other context, it’s often tiptoed around, and as a result, it’s always just been defined by a “well, this person isn’t totally like this one, so we’ll call it diverse” rhetoric.
I’m very open to discussing diversity and its various forms and applications, so going into this event, I was quite excited to be able to express my experiences and dive a little deeper into the ethics side of the diversity conversation. As the program went on, I was not disappointed. The presenter fostered several excellent conversations about topics such as prejudice, privilege, and oppression, and even introduced some terminology I had never heard before. The most notable of these, to me, was the term “minoritized group,” something to be used in favor of the word “minority.” This was due to the possibility of minoritized groups not actually being a minority, but rather, a majority; yet, due to some characteristic or another, still being treated as a minority. I found the introduction of this term quite interesting purely due to its logicality: on a basic level, I am aware that certain groups are, indeed, not minorities but still minoritized, and I was surprised that I had never considered using such a term to refer to these groups before.
This presentation also served as an excellent catalyst for me to consider the effects of diversity in various aspects of my life; particularly, my role in the field of STEM. It is a well-known fact that overall, women are an underrepresented population in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. Growing up, I was always the odd friend out in that I preferred science and math classes to my friends’ music and art, but in all honesty, I never gave much thought to the fact that my preferences weren’t exactly the most common for people like myself. Entering college, however, this has become much more clear. I sometimes glance around the classroom I’m in to see exactly who some of my peers are, and more often than not, I notice females being outrageously outnumbered by their male counterparts. Though some may expect me to be intimidated, I actually find this lack of diversity to be a source of encouragement for what I have set out to do: solidify my place as a female in the field of STEM that can perform just as well as any of my colleagues, and at the same time, improve the world’s technology for the better. However, I cannot say that this comes without any sort of frustration. The lack of gender diversity in STEM has also caused issues with people underestimating and doubting my abilities and knowledge because I am not part of the “norm”- or, in other words, because I am not male.
Increasing diversity in anything, much less a very large field in the workforce, is incredibly difficult. However, incredibly difficult is not the same thing as being impossible. Though the road to it may be long and difficult, I am very excited to see a future where there is no such thing as a “minoritized group,” and am confident that it will come sooner than anyone will expect.