We all know there’s still sexism in the world, and this problem runs even deeper in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields.
Men and women aren’t treated equally, and it’s an issue that needs more attention until it’s actually fixed.
For one senior majoring in mechanical engineering at Eastern Washington University, the biased treatment that his female peers were experiencing really got to him.
Distraught and disgusted by the inequality, 34-year-old Jared Mauldin wrote a letter to his school’s student newspaper, The Easterner.
Addressing all the “women in [his] engineering classes,” he said that, indeed, they WERE unequal.
He actually begins by saying that he and the women that are around him “are in fact unequal.”
Now, if you are a woman reading this, it seems a bit ambiguous what point he is trying to make at first, but then he explains himself.
He notes that girls often grow up in a world that discourages them from focusing on STEM subjects.
He continued:
“I did not, for example, grow up in the world that discouraged me from focusing on hard science. Nor did I live in a society that told me not to get dirty, or said I was bossy for exhibiting leadership skills.”
Jared is autistic and he suffers from Lupus and avascular necrosis in both his hips. As a result, he has had to work much harder than his peers to achieve the same results. However, despite having these conditions, he believes that his fully healthy female peers have had to endure more pain and work harder.
“I was not bombarded by images and slogans telling me that my true worth was in how I look and that I should abstain from certain activities because I might be thought too masculine. I was not overlooked by teachers who assumed that the reason I did not understand a tough math or science concept was, after all, because of my gender.”
He concludes his letter by congratulating and applauding the women in his STEM classes for overcoming the unprecedented odds set before them.
“So, you and I cannot be equal. You have already conquered far more to be in this field than I will ever face.”
Since it was published, Jared’s letter is going viral on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms.
One woman commented on The Easterner‘s website saying:
“Jared – I’m 59 years old and I got my PhD in physiology more than 30 years ago. Thank you for this. You have reduced this tough-minded old feminist to tears.”
Another said:
“You nailed it brother! Living under a microscope is not easy. Just having one male peer who “gets” it and has my back makes a world of difference in my everyday work life.”
It’s clear that he had a lot of support from students of all genders.
Mauldin told The Huffington Post:
“Nothing I said was new, it has all been said a thousand times before. The difference is that I am a man. Maybe by standing up and breaking the silence from the male side, I can help some more men begin to see the issues, and begin to listen to the women who have been speaking about this all along.”
Be sure to scroll down below to hear Mauldin speak about his piece going viral.
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