Today, women earn approximately 82 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Yet in 2017, Black men and women made up only 5% of STEM managers. In 2016, the National Science Foundation reported that 24% of Black women who earned a doctorate studied a STEM field. The lack of representation grows worse at the leadership level. Black and Hispanic undergraduates declare STEM majors at the same rate as white students but are more likely to switch majors to pursue a non-STEM degree. Women of color also leave STEM career tracks at every stage of education. In 2022, Black and Hispanic and Indigenous women, and other underrepresented women of color, made up less than 10% of the STEM workforce in the U.S. Women of color face some of the biggest hurdles in STEM occupations. Hispanic Americans make up 7% of STEM workers and 16% of the workforce. A 2018 Pew Research Center report found that Black Americans make up 9% of STEM workers but 11% of the overall workforce. Overall, Black and Hispanic Americans remain underrepresented in STEM careers. Women of Color in STEM Face Unique Challenges And this problem is even worse for women of color.

Today, women don't have nearly as many role models or potential mentors as men. Women's departure means a loss of knowledge and expertise from STEM that is disadvantageous for innovation and scientific inquiry. These patterns suggest a roadblock in women's career advancement that their men colleagues do not face to the same degree, said Erin Cech, a sociology professor at the University of Michigan and co-author of a paper on the study. In an eight-year study of STEM professionals, researchers found that 43% of women in STEM careers left their full-time job within 4-7 years of having their first child, while only 23% of men did the same. In male-dominated fields, women may feel forced out by exclusionary cultures.Ī lack of parental leave policies hurts women more than men. Women who enter the STEM workforce face steep barriers to success. Men also vastly outnumber women in some of the highest-paying majors: 4 in 5 degree-holders in engineering and computer science are men. College Women Face Gender Bias in STEMĪlthough women earn more bachelor's degrees overall than men, they account for just 36% of STEM bachelor's degrees. In 2018, the, the National Assessment of Educational Progress measured boys' and girls' proficiency in technology and engineering subjects and found that the girls' scores declined, contributing to the gender gap in STEM. When asked to draw a scientist or mathematician, girls drew a man twice as often as they did a woman, and boys almost always drew a man.Īs a result of these social and cultural factors, girls typically begin opting out of STEM courses at an early age, despite being just as capable of thriving in STEM careers as their male peers. Gender stereotypes also shape career ambitions. For instance, according to several studies, teachers awarded lower grades to girls for the same math work as boys. Some educators underestimate girls' math abilities, encouraging them, either openly or tacitly, to abandon their STEM ambitions. Even girls as young as 3 or 4 can fall prey to these stereotypes. Stereotypes about women's abilities start early, often undermining their confidence in their mathematical and technical skills.

Women face unique challenges when pursuing STEM careers. So what's the overall outlook for women interested in technical fields? Here, we dive into the challenges and opportunities for women looking to establish a STEM career. Despite computer science being the largest-growing stem field, the number of women working in computing has dropped 7 percentage points from 2000 to 2016 and has remained stable since that year.

On top of that, women face unique obstacles when pursuing STEM careers.Īlthough women's representation in STEM has increased dramatically since 1970, those strides have leveled off in recent years. If STEM careers offer premier growth and earnings, what are the barriers to working in STEM? For one, most STEM careers require a college degree. Those interested in pursuing a STEM career can seek mentors and scholarships for women.Today's women face unique barriers in STEM, including gender bias and a wage gap.Women played a critical role in the early development of STEM, particularly computing.The number of women in STEM has fallen flat after years of growth.The Public Ivies, Little Ivies, and Other Ivy League Equivalents.Student Resources show submenu for Student Resources

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