Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation

Beede, David N.; Julian, Tiffany; Langdon, David; McKittrick, George; Khan, Beethika; Doms, Mark

doi:10.2139/ssrn.1964782

Cited by 472 publications

(419 citation statements)

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“…"There are many possible factors contributing to the discrepancy of women and men in STEM jobs, including: a lack of female role models, gender stereotyping, and less family-friendly flexibility in the STEM fields. Regardless of the causes, the findings of this report provide evidence of a need to encourage and support women in STEM" (Beede et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Where Are All the Talented Girls How Can We Help Them Achieve in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics

Meadows¹

2016

JEGYS

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Women's participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses and careers lags behind that of men. Multiple factors contribute to the underrepresentation of women and girls in STEM. Academic research suggests three areas, which account for the under representation of girls in STEM: social and environmental factors, the school climate and the influence of bias. In order to engage and to retain girls in STEM, educators need to: eliminate bias in the classroom, change school culture, introduce female role models, help girls assess their abilities accurately and develop talent in areas related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Educators should encourage young girls to ask questions about the world, to problem solve, and to develop creativity through play and experimentation. Women have made impressive gains in science and engineering but remain a distinct minority in many science and engineering fields. Creating environments that support girls' and women's achievements and interests in science and engineering will encourage more girls and women to pursue careers in these vital fields.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Where Are All the Talented Girls How Can We Help Them Achieve in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics

Meadows¹

2016

JEGYS

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“…What is even more alarming is that only about 25% are women with less than 10% minority women 21 . Women occupy nearly half the US workforce but less than 25% of the STEM workforce 2,5 . Ironically, young boys and girls do not differ much in technical abilities or interest in STEM during the early years of their education, but girls develop negative attitudes toward technological studies in the later high school years [22][23][24] .…”

Section: The Underrepresentation Of Women and Minoritiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among the many contributing factors two of the most critical are the underrepresentation of women [5][6][7][8][9] and minorities 2, 7, 9-10 and inadequate academic preparation for college and workforce readiness starting with the absence of engineering topics in K-12 science and mathematics curriculum and instruction [11][12][13][14][15][16][17] . Proper academic preparation for college must begin as early as middle school, if not the late elementary grades [18][19] for students who choose to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), especially engineering 16 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparisons of a Female-Only, Male-Only, and Mixed-Gender Engineering Enrichment Program for 4th Graders

Hirsch

Heyman

Cano

2016 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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The benefits and relative effectiveness of single-gender education are still unclear and more research is necessary before strong conclusions can be formed. Results of previous evaluations comparing aspects of female-only summer enrichment programs to equivalent mixed-gender programs has shown female-only programs to be particularly effective in educating young girls about engineering and positively influencing their perceptions of engineers and attitudes toward engineering as a career. Subsequent evaluations comparing single-gender vs mixed-gender programs including male-only programs had mixed results. The current study is a more rigorous examination of gains in content knowledge and takes a closer look at the issues of self-efficacy, gender equity and qualitative perceptions of engineers using the Middle School Attitudes toward Engineering and Knowledge of Engineering Careers Survey and the Draw an Engineering Test in equivalent post 4 th grade female-only, male-only and mixed-gender programs. Previous evaluations included higher-grade programs with some returning students that had already participated in other program(s) so they had some prior knowledge of engineering and had possibly participated in a program of a different gender composition. In addition to comparisons among gains in content knowledge, comparisons between characteristics of students drawing from the Draw an Engineer Test and responses to the Attitudes toward Engineering and Knowledge of Engineering Careers Survey found significant differences among the three gender group programs in terms of self-efficacy and gender attribution of engineers.

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“…Policy makers and media have put a spotlight on STEM's gender inequalities, 1 yet, engineering's public image suggests that the field has become more inclusive. The fact that Facebook hired Sheryl Sandberg, and support her efforts towards women leadership in technology is one example of the perceived change.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, the graduation rate of women from engineering programs is declining, 2 and women only make up 18% of the engineering workforce. 1 Our study attempts to peel back engineering's public facade to gauge if current female students still perceive the engineering environment as hostile to women. Or do they perceive it as welcoming, suggesting that the efforts of Sandberg and others to promote women in technology symbolize a deeper culture shift not yet measurable in graduation rates?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negotiating Gender in an Engineering Environment

Nelson

Shapcott

Husman

2016 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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Despite a recent emphasis on increasing female retention in engineering, data trends indicate that such efforts have had limited success. This study considered female retention in engineering by interviewing female students about why they entered and stayed in engineering. We conducted ethnographic interviews with six female engineering students about their experience in engineering. All students were attending a summer research program at an American southwestern university. Students ranged in age (19-35 years old) and academic level (forthcoming sophomore-senior). The interviews were semi-structured and were conducted by the first author -an engineering education researcher. Using a post-positivist constructivist perceptive, themes were extracted from the interview transcripts and grouped into thematic categories related to students' perceptions of women and engineering. Even though our sample was limited, commonalities emerged in the interviews for women's engineering experiences. Thematic categories were validated using established theoretical constructs. Five thematic categories emerged from the data: discovery of engineering, interest and persistence in engineering, discrimination within engineering, gender identity, and family-career balance. The thematic categories that emerged in this study represent our participants' shared experiences that influenced their choice to pursue and remain in engineering. IntroductionPolicy makers and media have put a spotlight on STEM's gender inequalities, 1 yet, engineering's public image suggests that the field has become more inclusive. The fact that Facebook hired Sheryl Sandberg, and support her efforts towards women leadership in technology is one example of the perceived change. Such high-profile female role-models should be celebrated. However, the expected motivational effects of high-profile female role-models are not yet translating to grass-roots female participation. In fact, the graduation rate of women from engineering programs is declining, 2 and women only make up 18% of the engineering workforce.

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Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation

Cited by 472 publications

References 0 publications

Where Are All the Talented Girls How Can We Help Them Achieve in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics

Where Are All the Talented Girls How Can We Help Them Achieve in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics

Comparisons of a Female-Only, Male-Only, and Mixed-Gender Engineering Enrichment Program for 4th Graders

Negotiating Gender in an Engineering Environment

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