This year, everyone’s talking about STEM.  Specifically how we can get our girls thinking about  science,technology ,engineering and mathematics. And it’s worth talking about. No doubt there are plenty of jobs out there for computer programmers in the global economy – and not many women are currently taking them. This government report shows that women, although 50% of the workforce, make up less than 25% of STEM-related jobs.

But here’s my problem: While there are great products and services coming out of the STEM-for-girls revolution – like GoldieBlox, a building toy meant to inspire girls’ interest and confidence in engineering — many gender-equality advocates are failing to make any real difference because they are trying to fix girls rather than support them. Also, I can’t help but think that by marginalizing the arts, we are also marginalizing women’s culture – and their labor.

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