Wearing purple on Pi Day: Celebrating women in STEM

(WSYR-TV) — On March 14, female STEM professionals across the globe will wear purple attire as a conversation starter about the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields. 

Dress for STEM — a movement started by female meteorologists across the country in 2016 to raise awareness about the need for more women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields — is celebrating its 9th annual event to support females in STEM careers.

It started with wearing “the dress” (an Amazon dress that went viral, resembling a cross between an airline attendant and a Star Trek uniform). But in an effort to include more participants, it switched to wearing the color purple a few years later.

Women in STEM, and anyone else who would like to join in solidarity, are encouraged to wear purple on Thursday, March 14 and share photos on social media using the hashtag #DressForSTEM.

Participants are encouraged to share facts about groundbreaking women scientists on social media using the hashtag #DressForSTEM.

The annual “Dress For STEM” event has previously been held on March 14, coinciding with “Pi Day,” a tribute to the mathematical constant, pi. The date March 14 represents the first three numbers in pi, 3.14, which appears in many mathematical formulas in math and physics.   

Dress For STEM is a grassroots effort launched by a group of female meteorologists in 2016 to encourage girls to pursue their passion for science. Research indicates that the percentage of young girls interested in STEM declines in middle school as a result of exposure to inaccurate gender stereotypes.

This translates to a lower proportion of women pursuing STEM careers later in life. Today, women account for nearly half the U.S. workforce but only 27% of STEM careers.