Becka Wall, Program Assistant

Becka Wall is the Program Assistant for the Communications Department. Prior to joining the Center, Becka interned at organizations such as The White House Project, Media Matters for America, the Newseum and the National Council for Research on Women. She graduated cum laude from American University with a degree in Communications focusing on the relationship between Media & Government in May 2011. In her spare time, Becka enjoys volunteering around DC, blogging about women's rights and baking up a storm.

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My Take

Winnie Cooper Grew Up to be a Pretty Awesome Role Model for Girls in STEM

Posted by Becka Wall, Program Assistant | Posted on: August 28, 2012 at 05:18 pm

Math is important. It seeps into our everyday lives in ways we don’t even think about. We all – well, some of us - know the important feeling of triumph after successfully creating and sticking with a budget (when that happens, I personally feel like draping a flag over my shoulders and doing a victory jog around my neighborhood), or decoding important statistics on our own. Not to mention that science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers are relatively well-paid, and more women in STEM fields could help close the wage gap between men and women – women make only 77 cents to every dollar men make.

Too many girls steer clear of STEM courses, beginning at an early age. Even though women make up a majority of college and graduate students, only 19% of physics bachelor’s degrees and 16% of master’s degrees in engineering and engineering technologies have gone to women. Girls are presented with a stereotype that girls won’t do well in math from an early age, and 57% believe that they would have to work harder in a STEM career to be taken seriously. Popular chains among teenage girls create t-shirts that advertise that the wearer is “Allergic to Algebra”. Even teachers have bought the hype. High school math teachers tend to rate female students’ math abilities lower than those of their male peers, even when test scores are comparable. In universities, women face blatant sexism and uncomfortably pervasive objectification of women in their departments.

So how do we fix this? Well, for a start, we need more female role models and mentors. In 2005, women made up only 19% of all full-time math faculty! Which is why I’m thanking god for Winnie Cooper.

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Tags: Education and Schools, STEM, Education & Title IX | Add new comment

Stepping Off the Field: How Title IX Shapes All of Education

Posted by Becka Wall, Program Assistant | Posted on: June 21, 2012 at 10:22 am
Becka Wall
Me

Everyone talks about Title IX’s influence in the world of sports, which certainly isn’t surprising - the law was a landmark in the field of athletics. It ensured that young women and girls had the opportunity to get out there on a field, train, play on high school or college teams, and even become professional athletes.

Title IX is about more than the playing field. Title IX molded my education and opened dozens of doors for me (even though I officially swore off sports after I walked straight into a basketball pole, gave myself a concussion during a Little League game and then opted for the theater club instead).

I was able to go to school every day knowing that bullying and harassment based on my gender was illegal. I could consider which college I wanted to attend without fear that my gender would impede my goals or studies. While I never got into mathematics or the sciences, I had loads of female friends who joined advanced math or science research classes and were never made to feel strange for loving those subjects. If I had become pregnant, I would have known that the law was on my side to help me earn my high school degree. I went to a great university (go AU Eagles!), joined clubs, shared dorm space with interesting people from all over the country and the world – male and female - and took classes that interested me. I never thought twice about whether or not being a girl would have an effect on my education or my career – all thanks to Title IX.

The chances and opportunities given to young women all over the country by Title IX are just a few of the many reasons to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this important law. But during our blog carnival, let’s have a conversation over by the Cracker Jacks about the progress yet to be made.

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Tags: Title IX, Athletics, Pregnant & Parenting Students, Education & Title IX | 1 comment