Underrepresentation of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) continues to be a major issue even with government initiatives in recent years to boost women studying and being employed in these disciplines. Yet, women continue to be underrepresented in these areas, and discrimination and systemic barriers still exist today.
Research shows women are still underrepresented in STEM
In 2018, women earned the majority of all college degrees in the U.S., accounting for 58% of all college degrees. Furthermore, women earned 53% of all STEM college degrees, yet the majority of those (85%) were in health-related fields with just 22% in engineering and 19% in computer-related studies.
However, even with women earning the majority of STEM degrees, only approximately 14% of those take employment in these areas leading to a considerable gender disparity in workplaces. Additionally, research has shown that women still tend to earn less than their male counterparts in STEM roles with Asian men earning the highest and black and Hispanic women earning the least
Women struggle to get their voices heard in academia
Differences in pay form just one-factor affecting women in STEM, though, contributing to a larger issue of discrimination. A recent study looked at 1.07 million physics papers published from 1990 until 2020 across 35 physics journals. Its findings were that male-sounding names were frequently over-cited compared to female-sounding names that were consistently under-cited.
Even though it was previously thought that women applied less often and for less money compared to men, recent research has shown that this is not the case. Women win fewer grants and are awarded proportionally less of the requested sum of money compared to men when applying for grant funding. This can have a negative effect on innovation and productivity since their findings are often overlooked.
Continue reading: https://womenlovetech.com/more-focus-on-women-in-stem-is-needed-to-tackle-underrepresentation/
Research shows women are still underrepresented in STEM
In 2018, women earned the majority of all college degrees in the U.S., accounting for 58% of all college degrees. Furthermore, women earned 53% of all STEM college degrees, yet the majority of those (85%) were in health-related fields with just 22% in engineering and 19% in computer-related studies.
However, even with women earning the majority of STEM degrees, only approximately 14% of those take employment in these areas leading to a considerable gender disparity in workplaces. Additionally, research has shown that women still tend to earn less than their male counterparts in STEM roles with Asian men earning the highest and black and Hispanic women earning the least
Women struggle to get their voices heard in academia
Differences in pay form just one-factor affecting women in STEM, though, contributing to a larger issue of discrimination. A recent study looked at 1.07 million physics papers published from 1990 until 2020 across 35 physics journals. Its findings were that male-sounding names were frequently over-cited compared to female-sounding names that were consistently under-cited.
Even though it was previously thought that women applied less often and for less money compared to men, recent research has shown that this is not the case. Women win fewer grants and are awarded proportionally less of the requested sum of money compared to men when applying for grant funding. This can have a negative effect on innovation and productivity since their findings are often overlooked.
Continue reading: https://womenlovetech.com/more-focus-on-women-in-stem-is-needed-to-tackle-underrepresentation/
