International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, observed on March 8. On International Women’s Day, people come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality. In Canada, while we still have a long way to go, we’ve made great strides when it comes to equality in education, employment and politics.
Mandy Lam teaches math and statistics in our business programs, and if you look closely, maybe you’ll find the equation to your own success in her story.
What’s your field, and how did you get involved in it?
“I teach math and statistics to students in business programs. I loved math as a child. I loved solving puzzles and math problems. But growing up, I noticed that math is not a popular subject. It felt like there was a negative social stereotype to be good at math, especially for girls! When I was studying math at the University of Toronto, I became a part-time math tutor for K-12 students. It was a very rewarding experience for me to help students overcome their math anxiety and realize that math is a subject with many applications. That was when I knew I wanted to be a math educator.”
How has gender shaped your experiences of working in your field?
“When I first started teaching as a college professor, I was teaching math to students in engineering technology programs. I was 25 years old. My classes were either all male students or at most, consisted of two women in a class of forty. There were times when I felt intimidated by male students who were much older than I was. At certain times, I would wonder to myself, would certain student behaviours occur if this was a classroom run by a male professor?”
“I had to reach out to colleagues who are women and ask for advice. From their experience, I learned to enhance my teaching strategies and behaviour management strategies in the classroom. I also learned a lot from the few women in my classes. I learned that the reason they chose to pursue STEM was having an emotional connection to local and global issues they observed when they were young. They felt that pursuing a career in STEM would allow them to make a difference. Their stories were very inspirational.”
What progress have you seen over time, and what still needs to happen in your field to achieve gender equity?
“There has been a greater focus on motivating women and non-binary folks to pursue STEM, and the number of women studying and working in STEM is increasing over time. However, a change in numbers is not enough when there is inadequate support to ensure they have equal opportunities. For example, from the Global Citizenship Innovation Research I conducted in 2017, women in college STEM programs voiced that they would benefit from academic supports and services that are more flexible and easily accessible because of their caregiving roles. These women would like mentorship opportunities to learn from other women’s experiences and challenges. At the same time, they want to be given a voice to raise awareness on breaking down gender stereotypes in STEM.”
What advice do you have for women and non-binary folks in navigating a career in your field?
“One of the key things STEM has taught me is that every problem has a solution. If it seems like there isn’t one, it doesn’t mean that the problem is impossible to solve, it’s likely because we haven’t found the solution yet. So, stay resilient.”
“Specifically in the area of statistics, remember that data gives insights, and insights can drive change. Never underestimate the power of data and statistics in advocating for change and disrupting the status quo.”
Who is a woman or non-binary person you admire, and why?
“Michelle Obama. I admire her for all the work she does in advocating for girls’ and women’s rights in health and education. I also love the story she shared about her upbringing because it resonates with my own experience. I was nine years old when my family and I immigrated to Canada. My parents had to work hard to provide for me and my younger brother. Just like the former first lady, I was taught to work hard, seize every opportunity, and never forget the importance of education. Last but not least, I love the fact that she’s a super-mom of two and can still do it all!”
By Anthony Geremia