Girls in Stem Field (Opinion)

First, let's just get context out of the way. I am a girl studying computer science. Why am I telling you this? It's because many times I think the title of being a girl who codes or a girl engineer is suffocating. Yes, we have many organizations that help us and offer action to promoting our skills and career paths due to the lack of women in these fields, however many times, I would like to be acknowledged for my merit and my skill rather than those things combined with the fact I am a girl.

Like think about it this way.
"Oh my god, you're a girl studying computer science... it's so hard.. you must be really really smart", someone tells me.
Sure, computer science is hard and all, but why does it matter that I am a girl? Are girls inherently dumber than boys? Why must it seem like girls cannot reach the full potential of their male counterparts?  Why need mention the fact that I am a girl, does it really make a difference?

I would like to think these difference are emphasized because of the patriarchal roots that have been dominant for the last few millennia where women were oppressed of the freedom to educate themselves. Thus, as a result, we are less confident as the social standards placed upon us women are lower than of those expected of men. And this goes particularly in stem fields, where most engineers were male early on due to the intensive labor it took to run pre-modern technology.

I do think it is important for females going into STEM fields to hold pride in the fact that they are studying computer science as a female, breaking social norms, and doing what they are passionate about despite the huge majority of males in the field. However, more importantly, I feel we need to hold pride in what we do, because we do it, we love it, and we are skilled at it. When I finally graduate college and get a job, I hope that the reason I get my job is not because of my gender, but because of the many late nights I toiled coding and grabbling with complex algorithms. Not to say that females who hold very feminist ideals and work hard in computer science work hard as well, but I feel that especially in a world that is still prejudiced no only in the perspective of gender and race, we need to stand up, and show that we, or anyone, part of the minority fully deserve what we are given. We can protest and march the streets crying for the end of discrimination, but until we prove that we are better than what others perceive of us, discrimination will never cease to end, because those thoughts will still be ingrained in the social norms that are placed in us by society. It is only by gaining things by merit and hard work rather than affirmative action that our white male counterparts will finally acknowledge our intellect, skills, and work ethic. And this I feel does not apply to just females, but of all minorities in the STEM fields.