A Call to Leadership - Transforming Your STEM Career Through Leadership and Innovation - page 9

commented on the fact that voters around the world are increasingly turning to
women because of their ability to reach agreements and find common ground.
“If we don't have women in this process, we cannot reconstruct our countries,” she says.
“Why? For a simple reason, because women are more educated for the care of people. [ … ]
while some see this stereotype as a strength, others see it as a weakness, arguing that women
tend to be strong on domestic issues but weak on military and foreign policy decisions.”
Samra Filipovic-Hadziabdic, the director of the Gender Equality Agency
of Bosnia and Herzegovina, isn't buying that argument. It has been said that
“Women can be tough you know - just remember your mother.”
Studies have shown that politically, when women lead, legislation tends to be
more nonpartisan, as well as both family- and child-friendly. The female perspec-
tive allows us to come up with solutions that impact our families in a more positive
way, and thus our country. This is not to say that all women lead the same way;
this generalization is based on a historical review of women leading in the U.S.
The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Lisa P.
Jackson, is an example of STEM leadership applied to politics. Jackson leads
EPA's efforts to protect the health and environment of America. She and a staff
of more than 17,000 professionals are working across the nation. Her back-
ground in engineering began as a Tulane University student where she gradu-
ated summa cum laude with a degree in chemical engineering. She later earned
a master's degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University.
Jackson is the first African-American to serve as EPA Administrator. In her
time as the leader of this organization she has made it a priority to focus on vul-
nerable groups including children, the elderly, and low-income communities that
are particularly susceptible to environmental and health threats [15] . This exam-
ple is consistent with historic examples of women leaders in politics who tend
to place a stronger emphasis on issues that impact the community and family.
Technology: Grace Hopper
There are many famous names in the history of computers and computing. Often,
that of Grace Hopper is overlooked. Born in 1906, she was a mechanically minded
child who often helped her surveyor grandfather plan the streets of New York.
While studying at Vassar, she became a member of Phi Beta Kappa and won a
fellowship that financed her further studies. After graduating, she joined her alma
mater as a math instructor, where she was known for her unusual teaching tech-
niques. Her students learned to play card and dice games and predict the prob-
able outcomes. She would give out the final examination at the beginning of the
semester so her students knew what they were expected to learn and understand.
At the outbreak of World War II, Grace tried to join the Navy but was rejected
because, at 36, she was too old. However, she did not give up, and, after a long
struggle, she convinced the Navy to accept her. Grace graduated at the top of
her officers' training class. She was assigned to the ordnance services and sent