In a recent study conducted by New York University, researchers delved into the world of chess and confirmed a finding that STEM the Gap Academy has been voicing since its foundation: gender bias exists within the chess community and it can have significant consequences for young female players. While this study is recent, its findings align profoundly with the mission and work of STEM the Gap Academy, which is dedicated to empowering, inspiring and encouraging girls in STEM fields, including chess.

Empowering girls has always been the central mission of Girl Boss Chess, which is why we have always emphasized that we are, first and foremost, an empowerment company. We, of course, use chess as a vehicle to encourage more girls into STEM. And while using chess as a vehicle has been an incredibly rewarding and exciting venture for the Girl Boss Chess Collective, this year it has also been important for us to acknowledge that there are other vehicles out there too that can serve our company mission.

Science Communicator and international model, Athena Brensberger discovered her love for Space Science when, at 11-12 years old, her teacher asked her to pick a book off the shelf, to write a report on it and present it to her class.

As luck would have it, Athena picked out a picture book of photographs taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and the images of distant galaxies and stars and planets blew her mind in such a way that she has never looked back!

SCRAPPING STEREOTYPES: How it helps everyone!

Stereotypes are glorified boxes. They are used to limit and to define people in two-dimensional predictable terms and, as anyone who has lived long enough can confidently state, people are far from being either two-dimensional or predictable.

Women’s rights have certainly come a long way since the middle of the 20th century, when the second-wave feminist movement first started calling for gender equality that challenged the patriarchy and extended into every domain of life. However, even as the conversation (and protestation) has continued non-stop since the 1960s, when women first started making these demands, today the fight for equal opportunities, representation and compensation still continues…and shows no sign of slowing down. And the reason for this is that there are still so many fields that remain male-dominated today, including STEM fields and chess.

How much screen time children should be allowed is a hot topic and absolutely everyone has a strong opinion.

It is no surprise that ‘screen time’ is a major concern in this modern world for parents and it is completely understandable, considering the unprecedented digital age that young children are growing up in.

As a society, we are completely obsessed with achievement. Whether it’s in sports, in business or in the arts, when we think of achievement, we always think of people who are at the top of their game, winning Oscars and championships and racking up accolade after accolade. We celebrate wealth, influence and privilege and while many of us aspire to reach that desired pinnacle of success,

Over the past few years, there have been a multitude of conversations that have been started and upheld around issues of representation, diversity and equality around the world. It has been made clearer and clearer that almost no field or domain is free of the blatant discrepancies that have been allowed to exist, forever seemingly, in terms of the availability of opportunities, resources and the appropriate training that should have been provided to all people equally, regardless of gender, color or creed.

"Sorry, my daughter is just a little shy."

"Oh, what a shy little girl you have there."

"Is she always this shy? Don’t be shy!"

Have you ever said any of these things about your daughter to someone else…a family member, a teacher, a relative or even a random stranger on the street?

Young girls growing up, often hear statements like, ‘You’re so beautiful!’ or ‘What a pretty little girl!’ Oftentimes, the adults who offer these compliments, extend them with good intentions and with a desire to instill confidence and values of self-worth in the young girls they are addressing.