Girl Power! These Barbie Dolls Are Inspiring Girls To Become Scientists, Engineers

If you have a daughter, ask her what she wants to be when she grows up. I just asked my 3-year-old, and she said, "I want to be a doctor." It's not primarily because we have a doctor in the family that she looks up to, or she knows that doctors help sick children to get well, but because she received a doctor's kit toy on her birthday. 

In an experiment almost 10 years ago, a researcher from Oregon State University (OSU) found that girls who play with Barbie dolls see fewer career options for them than boys. 

"Playing with Barbie has an effect on girls' ideas about their place in the world. It creates a limit on the sense of what's possible for their future. While it's not a massive effect, it is a measurable and statistically significant effect," Aurora M. Sherman, an associate professor in the School of Psychological Science at OSU said.

Because toys such as dolls or action figures have been proven to influence a child's idea of what they could be in the future, we hope it's a positive one. Thus, Mattel has been making use of the Barbie dolls to inspire girls to have an interest in STEM careers.

The need for women in STEM

In the US, less than one-third of the STEM workforce is composed of women. In the Philippines, reports showed that there are decreasing enrollments from women in STEM courses in the country, according to the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE).

"Most of the respondents to the online survey have reported that they chose a career in STEM either because it was a personal decision to pursue such career path or because the career prospects in STEM were good. Another reason for choosing a career in STEM, though not as compelling, is having parents, a teacher or a role model in school who inspired them," according to the PBCWE report in 2019.

READ ALSO: Want To Raise A Future Engineer Or Science Whiz? Try These 5 STEM Activities At Home

“Barbie is dedicated to showcasing women who are role models from all backgrounds, professions, and nationalities so that girls around the world can see themselves in careers that might not always seem as accessible,” Lisa McKnight, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Barbie & Dolls, Mattel said in a statement.

Barbie for International Women's Month 2023

That's why this year, in celebration of International Women's Day, Mattel launched seven one-of-a-kind role model Barbie dolls of women leaders in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics or STEM from all over the world.

Every year, Barbie makes it a part of its campaign to inspire young girls to dream big and widen their options when it comes to choosing a career. In 2018, Barbie unveiled 18 dolls featuring incredible women in history as part of its Inspiring Women collection. In 2020, Barbie added Florence Nightingale has been added to the list along with two others.

• Susan Wojcicki (United States): Longtime YouTube CEO
• Anne Wojcicki (United States): Co-Founder and CEO of 23andME
• Janet Wojcicki (United States): Professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco
• Katya Echazarreta (Mexico): Electrical Engineer and Science Show Host
• Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock (United Kingdom): Space Scientist and Science Educator
• Prof. Dr Antje Boetius (DE): Marine Researcher and Microbiologist
• Yinuo Li (China): Co-Founder of ETU Education

Longtime YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, who is part of the role models series, said, she didn't imagine she would have a career in tech growing up. “My sisters and I found jobs we love and discovered how creative and fulfilling careers in STEM can be for women.

She added, "I spent nearly 25 years working at Google and nine years as the CEO of YouTube, and it was an incredible experience. I hope Barbie’s International Women’s Day celebration will remind girls around the world that they can do anything.”

READ ALSO: This Mom Is The First Fil-Am Doctor To Become A Barbie Role Model: 'You Can Make A Difference'

What do you want to be?

These Barbie role models will be up on sale at the Mattel site soon.

After a few minutes, my 3-year-old daughter came up to me and said, "If you grow up again, what do you want to be, Nanay?"

Honestly, I've never dreamed of becoming an engineer or a scientist because I didn't have anyone to look up to, nor understood what it does. If we had these Barbie dolls before, I might have understood better and consider taking up engineering, and it would've been fun.

In this season of my life, I want to focus on becoming a mom who is raising a daughter who knows no limits on what she could be, just like these moms. 

How about you? What do you want to be if you can be anything, mommy?

Who says dolls are only for girls? This skater and firefighter mom lets her son play with dolls. Read here.