The North Star

Amelia Earhart:

The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life and the procedure. The process is its own reward.

 It seems to me that a great deal of the "we must have more women in STEM careers" chanting is driven by people who assume that other things than the work itself will prove rewarding. This is a difference between intrinsic and extrinsic reward, and the former will always outmatch the latter for the very best in any career.