Women in STEM

April 27, 2021

The calls for more women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers have been growing for years now, and while the numbers have definitely increased—from 8% of STEM workers being women in 1970 to 27% in 2019—the gains are not comparable when you look at the overall figures on women’s employment.(1)

And when it comes to the two STEM careers with the highest salaries — engineering and computer science — the number of females is even lower. Only 21% of engineering majors and 19% of computer science majors currently are women.(2)

Progress is being made, but there is still so much more to be done to level the playing field and ensure that more girls, particularly girls of color, are given the skills and confidence early in their education to succeed in math and science.

The latest concern is how will the past year of job upheavals for women, thanks to the pandemic, further erode the progress women have made in STEM? The early numbers from the past year indicate an alarming trend—fewer published papers, clinical trials and less recognition for women in STEM over 2020.(3) One study estimated that papers published during COVID-19 with a woman first author were 19% lower than that for papers published in the same journals in 2019.(4) 

4 steps to close the STEM gap

  1. Give girls confidence to succeed
    From parents to teachers, everyone plays a role in encouraging young girls that they are as capable as boys when it comes to math and science in school.
  2. Improve how STEM is taught
    Make classes more hands-on and collaborative, while also helping teachers learn how to address implicit and systemic biases.
  3. Make colleges more welcoming to women in STEM
    Mentorship matters for STEM, so working to prioritize diverse, inclusive and respectful environments is key, as is fully enforcing Title IX in terms of science, technology, engineering and math.
  4. Create equal work environments
    Too often STEM fields don’t foster equity thanks to lack of flexibility or pay equity; fewer networking opportunities for women, weak anti-harassment and/or family leave policies or fewer advancement chances also make the workplace less equitable to females.(2)

Female STEM Leaders

Iris Bahar, Brown University professor of computer science and engineering, not only had a personal role model growing up, her father, but as an adult she has made an effort to create a community with other women in her field, including joining women’s STEM groups at Brown and establishing connections with women scientists at other institutions for support and a sense of community.(5)

Cheryl Ingstad, Director, Office of Artificial Intelligence & Technology Office at the Department of Energy, says the goal of a more diverse STEM workforce is top of mind at the DOE, with leadership focused on promoting STEM through a multipronged outreach effort focusing on education and workforce advocacy, as well as engagement with the communities.(6)

The organization Women in Stem is actively working to make STEM fields not only more approachable but also more fun to encourage girls to not lose interest as they enter into high school and college. They are focused on mentoring, networking and outreach so that girls interested in STEM feel supported throughout their education. Mentorship is a special focus for the group, because they feel it allows for a personal and immediate connection. To that end they are pairing high school girls with college students, with the thinking that the college students are closer to the teen’s situation and therefore more relatable.(7)

While the current state of Women in STEM had been improving prior to COVID-19, only time will tell how the pandemic has impacted it. But what remains true is that to get more girls and women interested and involved in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math will require interventions earlier in school to encourage girls, as well as more equal playing fields once those girls become women in the STEM workforce.

  1. Christnacht, Cheridan and Martinez, Anthony; “Women Are Nearly Half of U.S. Workforce but Only 27% of STEM Workers”; January 26, 2021; U.S. Census; census.gov/library/stories/2021/01/women-making-gains-in-stem-occupations-but-still-underrepresented.html
  2. “The STEM Gap: Women and Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math”; AAUW; aauw.org/resources/research/the-stem-gap/
  3. Mandavilli, Apoorva; “Could the Pandemic Prompt an ‘Epidemic of Loss’ of Women in the Sciences?” The New York Times; April 13, 2021; nytimes.com/2021/04/13/health/women-stem-pandemic.html
  4. Anderson, Jens Peter, Mathias Wullum Nielsen, Nicole L Simone, Resa E Lewiss, Reshma Jagsi; “COVID-19 medical papers have fewer women first authors than expected”; June 15, 2020; pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32538780/
  5. Walker, Jack; “Female professors in STEM reflect on experiences in their fields”; The Brown Daily Herald; March 22, 2021; browndailyherald.com/2021/03/22/female-professors-in-stem-reflect-on-experiences-in-their-fields/
  6. Ingstad, Cheryl; “Inspiring Next Generation of Women as STEM Leaders”; The Department of Energy; March 20, 2020; energy.gov/articles/inspiring-next-generation-women-stem-leaders
  7. Women in Stem; womeninstem.org/mentorship