Male engineering student at Eastern Washington University explains why women and men are not equal in STEM

Letter discussing 'boys club mentality' and 'diversity hire' gathers over 63,000 Facebook likes in under two days

(JUAN MABROMATA/AFP/Getty Images)

A student has been gathering attention online after writing a letter explaining why men and women are not equal in his engineering class – because women have already achieved far more than he will ever face.

Jared Maudlin, a senior in mechanical engineering at Eastern Washington University in the US, wrote to the editor of the student paper after seeing his female counterparts struggle to have their voices be heard in STEM subjects.

Addressed to ‘the women in my engineering class’, the student begins: “While it is my intention in every other interaction I share with you to treat you as my peer, let me deviate from that to say that you and I are in fact unequal.”

He goes on to explain how he never had to grow up with people who discouraged him from taking up hard science, nor was he ever told not to get dirty or labelled as ‘bossy’ for showing leadership skills.

Read the letter:

“To the women in my engineering classes,” writes Jared Mauldin, a senior at Eastern Washington University. “While it is...

Posted by A Mighty Girl on Wednesday, 7 October 2015

On top of this, he wrote he was never fearful of being rejected by his friends at school for showing an interest in STEM fields, nor did he ever have to face a bombardment of images and slogans telling him his only worth lay in his physical appearance.

Highlighting many other differences between both genders in his class – and related subjects – he rounds off by saying he will never be judged on his success as peope will say he earned it, adding: “So, you and I cannot be equal. You have already conquered far more to be in this field than I will ever face.”

Speaking with The Huffington Post, he explained how he was moved to write the piece after seeing one of his friends be treated differently in a calculus class, in which her male peers either spoke over her, were too critical of her work – or even failed to acknowledge her presence in the same room.

Assuring readers he has said nothing that hasn’t already been said many times before, he added how he hopes his actions will shine some light from the male side in helping women be heard and accepted on par with males.

Startlingly, the only reason, he told the site, his letter has gathered so much attention? “The difference is that I am a man.”