Shrubaboti Bose's Blog - Posts Tagged "nonfiction"

Careers for Girls by Anne Daly

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Encouraging girls to dream big and introducing them to various career options.

Women make up only 28% (approximately) of the total workforce in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and men consequentially outnumber them greatly. This disparity begins at school level when children select their majors but it continues right to their adulthood. Most of the employees at various sectors of STEM industries turn out to be men. In this book, the author argues that this might not be a result of personal choice but more a matter of social conditioning that every child gets subjected to when they grow up with.

In fact, she explains how gender conforming practices and stereotypes can directly or indirectly motivate girls to choose subjects like fashion design over scientific research. While every subject has their set of advantages and uses in the society, there is no need for us to limit the career options for girls, or similarly, in case of boys, to compel them to take up engineering or technology as their only choices for work. By curating a wide range of unique careers, Anne tries to introduce little girls to various subject areas, expanding the available list of fields that they can choose from for their future.

Undoubtedly, this is an important topic that requires more discussion and in her own way, Anne takes up the challenge to spread awareness about STEM as well as encourage girls to dream big. A special feature that would really help children in improving their vocabulary is the little 'weird word of the job' corner, where readers can find new words to learn. Explanations of each career come with lucid descriptions written in a language that is easy to comprehend. Significant key words are colour-coded throughout the book. Additionally, one can find each new job name broken up into different syllables to facilitate children's pronunciation.

Although the book design and presentation of the information could have been more engaging and upbeat, particularly when created for children; the hard work and efforts put into the making of this book is visible. It is full of illustrations that are both detailed and hand-drawn with a lot of dedication. So, despite coming across as a little bland, it's worth reading!

(Note: ARC obtained from Reedsy Discovery)



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