With that comment, I'd think you'd want to encourage women into STEM fields so they make more money. Maybe they would need less from social services if they had more earning power.
Besides being motivated by competition vs cooperation, men and women learn differently, and I can't help but wonder if a different approach might encourage them more, especially if it was done earlier.
The forcing of girls into traditional American gender roles starts with the first time someone puts her in a pink outfit. Then come the dolls and the kitchen sets and the praise for being pretty vs being say, smart or athletic. Being told to be demure and "ladylike" (I so hate that word). It happens with boys too. Blue outfits, praise for being tough, conflating manhood with physical prowess. By the time kids hit ten, a whole lot of them have been socialized to fit into narrow roles and it's too late to get them interested in topics outside traditional roles.
I'm not saying every parent does this. If you look at what toys are for sale and what kids choose for college majors, you can get a good idea.