STEM is Pink: Reimagining STEM Beyond Stereotypes
Do you ever associate colours with subjects? For me, English and literature were yellow, geography was green, history was red, and math was blue. Actually, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as a whole was blue: cold, logical, calculated, precise. Which to me meant, it wasn’t for me.
I saw myself as colourful, imaginative, creative, innovative, warm, and soft. A lot of adjectives I never associated with the colour blue. However, I didn’t see myself as pink either.
Growing up, I rejected pink. Not because pink wasn’t pretty, but because it felt expected and cliché. I wanted to be a rebel, a very original individual, and I was desperate to prove that I wasn’t just like every other girl.
So, in the spirit of being different and proving a point, when it time came for me to choose a career path, I decided to venture into engineering. Aeronautical engineering, to be exact. It was a love-hate story: I thrived in some courses and was utterly annihilated by others. For example, I really enjoyed physics and programming, but I hated calculus so much that I failed it twice. To me, this was further proof that I didn’t belong in engineering.
Since completing my degree almost two years ago, two fundamental things have happened that are really important for this article.
1.I wound up working in STEM in an unexpected way (more on that later).
2. I realized I really like the colour pink.
Turns out, I am just like every other girl after all. And that is a great thing. Because if a “stereotypical girl” like me wound up in STEM, it means every girl can. Not just the math-loving, award-winning overachiever who seems different, but also the girl who loves makeup, or literature, or art, not that those things are mutually exclusive.
In this article, I aim to reimagine our perception of STEM, and highlight the role of creativity, empathy, intuition, and other bright colours that truly belong in the field. Globally, women make up less than 30% of the STEM workforce, not because we are incapable, but because of the stories we are told. If we continue to paint a picture that only one type of woman belongs in STEM, we do a disservice to the field.
As the future of STEM and the job market continues to evolve, we must equip a diverse group of young professionals with both technical skills and the creativity to innovate.
The Perception of STEM
STEM has long been painted in a narrow light. It is often imagined as a world of calculation and logic. While this is entirely true, focusing only on that side has pushed the creative and intuitive aspects of STEM into the background. STEM is not just about precision and formulas; it is also about imagination, empathy, and design. When we reduce it to numbers and logic, we make it feel cold and unwelcoming, and we suggest that it is a space meant for only a select few.
These perceptions start early.The difference is clear even in toys: boys’ toys often come in darker colours like blue, black, or brown, symbolizing strength and toughness, while girls’ toys are wrapped in bright pinks, purples, and pastels, tied to beauty and care.
This colour-coding does more than simply decorate; it quietly reinforces ideas about what belongs to whom. A chemistry set in navy blue or a robotics kit in steel grey subtly suggests that it was designed for boys. It is rare to see a microscope in pastel pink or a coding robot in lavender. Imagine if Lego sets, often marketed to boys with themes like knights, cars, or spaceships, came in pink. Or if dollhouses, usually targeted at girls, were built in bold blues with intricate circuits that light up the rooms. Suddenly, the boundary between “boy” and “girl” toys begins to fade.
The problem is not that girls are unwilling to play with STEM toys, but that STEM has rarely been designed in ways that speak to them. Cultural stereotypes about who belongs in STEM shape participation more than ability ever could. It is not about convincing girls to play with toys that were never made for them, but about reimagining STEM spaces and tools that reflect their creativity, curiosity, and sense of identity. This does not mean that girls and boys should not share toys; toys are simply toys. However, the difference in design reveals something deeper: STEM has been built as a world for some, not for all.
The danger in this perception is twofold. It excludes a vast pool of talent, including women as well as limits the fullness of what STEM can be. When we value logic over imagination, or label certain colours as “masculine” or “feminine,” we narrow the possibilities of innovation itself.
Put simply, if STEM continues to be seen as only “blue,” we miss out on all the other colours that make it vibrant, inclusive, and transformative.
Rethinking STEM Traits
I spent my first year of engineering feeling like a fraud. I wasn’t a natural at the things people expected engineering students to be good atbut I loved creating things and being innovative. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been considered creative. Whenever a task required a new idea, I was the go-to girl. Naturally, even when I chose extracurricular activities in junior high school, I gravitated towards the more creative ones like drama club, debate, and a club called Brainastics (gymnastics of the brain. Clever, right?).
What I didn’t realize then was that the traits I possed like curiosity, critical thinking, coupled with the ability to imagine and invent were exactly what STEM requires. But I was poor with details and easily frustrated by tasks that were too technical. One of the reasons I didn’t do well in math wasn’t because I didn’t understand the concepts, but because the longer a calculation was, the less meticulous I became. I had a short attention span, and my patience with precision wore thin as the equations got longer.
Programming, however, was different. When I encountered a bug or a piece of code I couldn’t figure out, I became obsessive. I would stay at it until I solved it. There was something deeply satisfying about creating something that worked, something that came to life through logic and creativity combined.
I was also a really articulate speaker. In fact, I had always been a good speaker and writer, traits that never seemed to point toward STEM. One of the few times I felt like a “good” student was during class presentations. I was highly opinionated and confident in articulating my thoughts, which often led people to suggest I consider a career in law instead. At the time, those traits felt like a mismatch for the technical world I was trying to belong to.
But that is exactly the problem with how we’ve been taught to think about STEM. When we ask, “Who belongs in STEM?” the answer often depends on which traits we value. Educators and systems tend to look for indicators such as logical reasoning, mathematical ability, competitiveness, and technical precision. These are undoubtedly important, but they are not the whole picture. By narrowing the definition of “STEM-worthy traits” to what has historically been coded as masculine, we overlook other qualities that are equally essential.
Take, for instance, traits more often perceived as “feminine” or “girly”: empathy, communication, patience, creativity, intuition, collaboration. Society often undervalues these qualities, especially in technical spaces, but they are indispensable to the advancement of STEM. The very innovations that shape our world are most effective when they blend both calculation and compassion, both logic and imagination.
This balance is at the heart of human-centered design—a growing movement within STEM that challenges the traditional separation between creativity and technology. Human-centered design places empathy and user experience at the core of innovation. It asks engineers, scientists, and technologists to not only build what works but to build what matters. In a world that increasingly relies on technology to solve social, medical, and environmental challenges, this approach reminds us that the best solutions begin with understanding people.
By ignoring or undervaluing traits like empathy and creativity, we not only exclude many women and girls who naturally embody them, but we also rob STEM of the diversity it needs to solve complex global problems. The future of STEM is not built only on logic and competitiveness. It thrives when paired with creativity, collaboration, and empathy.
The Future of STEM: Skills Beyond Logic
The truth is, we do not fully know what the future of STEM will look like. Emerging fields like artificial intelligence, biotechnology, renewable energy, and space exploration are still unfolding. According to the World Economic Forum, an estimated 65% of children entering primary school today will work in jobs that do not yet exist. This reality challenges us to rethink what it means to be “STEM-ready.”
Traditionally, readiness has been defined by logic, precision, and technical mastery. While these remain important, the future demands much more. Creativity, empathy, collaboration, and emotional intelligence are quickly becoming the most valuable skills. Complex challenges like climate change, healthcare innovation, and ethical AI require people who can combine technical skill with imagination, intuition, and compassion.
The future of STEM is not just technical, it is deeply human. Traits once dismissed as “soft” or “girly” are the very competencies that will define tomorrow’s innovators.
I have found my own little corner in this evolving landscape as a STEM educator and advocate, teaching coding and robotics to school-aged children. I also serve as the Innovation Manager at Robotix Institute, where I design curricula, create programs that champion our cause, and manage partnerships that advance access to quality STEM education. Every day, I see how curiosity, empathy, and creativity ignite young minds, proving that the best engineers are not just logical thinkers but imaginative problem solvers.
The future of STEM belongs to all of us. It is not limited to those who fit a narrow mold but open to anyone willing to think, feel, and create. When we embrace STEM in full colour, we unlock its true power: a future shaped by diversity, humanity, and innovation.
