The field of study and careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) are historically white and male dominated. According to US Census data from 2019, men make up about 73% of the STEM workforce in the country, and a report from the National Science Foundation found that 62.9% of these workers are white. Women in STEM, specifically, have been barred from many opportunities in school and careers compared to their male peers, but this is beginning to change in all different levels of education. 

At ETHS, many female students choose to take AP science and math courses, and the women in STEM (wiSTEM) club has seen a large increase in membership. Tina Lulla teaches AP Chemistry, and she also helps out with wiSTEM. “They keep outgrowing the space,” Lulla said of the club. “They’ve met in classrooms before, but now we meet in the auditorium lobby or a very large space at school. At our first meeting, we had 144 students between the 2 lunch periods, and now we’re hovering at around 70-80 people per meeting.” The growth of wiSTEM exemplifies the importance of dedicated spaces for women in STEM, but Lulla emphasizes the importance of female voices in the classroom as well, something she prioritizes as a teacher. “In my classes, I work hard to build a community that ensures everyone has a voice,” she said. “In the process of trying to build that community, it opens up the space for women or anyone from an underrepresented group to have a voice.” Lulla actively works to make sure all voices are heard in her classes. “If someone from a more ‘majority group’ is taking up a lot of space in class, I try to show in subtle ways that this isn’t how this class functions, we function as a team, where everyone has an equal voice.”  

While WiSTEM may be the most well-known, Lulla believes that female students should be aware of all different STEM opportunities at ETHS, such as Science Olympiad, Math Team, and other science clubs like Biology Club. While it is largely up to students to find opportunities for themselves in the STEM world, Lulla echoes the idea that teachers play a central role in creating safe spaces for students who are not in the STEM ‘majority.’ “As a teacher, it’s important for me to take responsibility to ensure that there’s an open space for everybody to be heard in the class,” she said. “Teacher to student encouragement is really important, especially at the freshman and sophomore level, saying to female students, ‘Hey, I think you’re really good at this, and I think you should look at these classes for next year.’” 

Female or nonbinary representation in STEM goes far beyond just high schools, however. A report from the World Economic Forum in 2024 found that women only make up about 28.2% of the global STEM workforce. This shows that while the Women in STEM movement may seem extremely successful in an area like Evanston, and there are advancements being made in equal opportunities for women and a more diverse STEM field, there is still a long way to go. Women and nonbinary people are still underrepresented groups. In Lulla’s perspective, having a non-diverse and monocultural workforce leads to less innovation. “The United States has been falling behind in our advancements in STEM, and the only way we will grow is to have a STEM workforce that reflects the American population, which means encouraging women to enter STEM careers, as well as Black and Latinx people. I think that’s the key to us catching up globally.”