Girls and STEM Education: Still Waiting For Lift-Off
When Sally Ride was preparing to become America’s first female astronaut, she had to field some particularly tough questions: Would she be packing a bra or menstrual supplies? Did she worry her reproductive organs might be damaged by space flight?
Looking back at those interviews with Ride, who was 61 when she died July 23 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, the sexist tenor of the queries is almost comical. But as Ride was quoted as responding in 1983, “It’s too bad this is such a big deal. It’s too bad our society isn’t further along.”
But how far along are we really, nearly 30 years after Ride cracked NASA’s space ceiling?
Ride dedicated much of her post-NASA career to writing educational children’s books and supporting initiatives
Looking back at those interviews with Ride, who was 61 when she died July 23 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, the sexist tenor of the queries is almost comical. But as Ride was quoted as responding in 1983, “It’s too bad this is such a big deal. It’s too bad our society isn’t further along.”
But how far along are we really, nearly 30 years after Ride cracked NASA’s space ceiling?
Ride dedicated much of her post-NASA career to writing educational children’s books and supporting initiatives